CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Burial Arrangements

Gareth Thomas: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions he has had with leaders of the Muslim community about allowing burials in Church of England graveyards to take place at weekends.

Stuart Bell: None. So far as I am aware, no approach has been made to the Church of England's national organisations on this topic, and I do not know whether it has arisen in any parishes.
	Anyone who was resident in a parish or who died there, whatever his or her faith, is legally entitled to burial in a Church of England parish churchyard, provided it has not been formally closed for burials and space is still available there. It would not be possible to use a non-Christian religious rite in the churchyard, but the Burial Laws Amendment Act 1880 lays down a procedure under which the burial can take place without any religious service, subject to the conditions set out in the Act, for example as to the day and time of the burial. The design of grave markers would be subject to the jurisdiction of the Church's consistory courts.
	I understand that issues of timing may also arise in the case of interments in local authority-maintained burial grounds, although that is not a matter for the Church authorities.

Ordained Women

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will estimate the total cost of the compensation scheme for those priests unwilling to accept the Ordination of Women up to the cessation of the scheme.

Stuart Bell: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27 February, which stated that expenditure to date and budgeted provision for future expenditure in respect of past and present claims for payment under the Ordination of Women (Financial Provisions) Measure 1993 is £24.2 million in total.
	The figure will rise if further claims are approved during the remaining lifetime of the legislation, which expires on 21 February 2004.

WALES

Ministerial Trips

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list each of the overseas trips made by himself and other members of his ministerial team in each of the last four years, specifying the purpose and cost of each trip.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Deputy Prime Minister on 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 707W.

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for 1997–98 and each subsequent financial year the amount spent by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons; if he will list the proportion of this cost incurred in respect of (x) food and (y) alcohol in each case; and if he will list the average cost per hotel room or similar unit of accommodation provided in each case.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 560W.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the statutory instruments issued by his Department in the last 12 months, indicating (a) the purpose of each and (b) the cost of each to (i) public funds, (ii) businesses and (iii) individuals.

Paul Murphy: In the last 12 months my Department has issued the following four statutory instruments:
	The National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Land) Order 2001 No. 398 which transferred to the Assembly land for the site of their new debating chamber to be constructed by the Assembly.
	The Government of Wales Act 1998 (Commencement No. 6) Order 2001 No. 1756 which brought into force provisions of the Government of Wales Act 1998 relating to the exercise of functions of the Forestry Commissioners in relation to Wales.
	The Auditor General for Wales (Transfer of Functions) (General Teaching Council for Wales) Order 2001 No. 2479 which transferred to the Auditor General for Wales the functions of the Controller and Auditor General in relation to the accounts of the General Teaching Council for Wales.
	The Environment Act 1995 (Commencement No. 20 and Saving Provision) (Wales) Order 2001 No. 3211 which brought into force for Wales various provisions of th Environment Act 1995 relating to contaminated land.
	The implementation costs associated with these statutory instruments are mainly a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Official Visits

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 86W, Ref 36818, what was the length and purpose of the overseas visit and the identity of the Parliamentary Private Secretary who undertook it.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 28 February 2002
	In May 1997, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton) supported the President of the Board of Trade on a three-day visit to Tokyo, Japan, which was focused on inward investment.

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will publish the Government's response to the Competition Commission's report on small business banking.

Melanie Johnson: Publication dates for such reports are not announced in advance. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will publish the report as soon as practicable.

Small Businesses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the barriers that stand in the way of effective competition between the relatively small and the relatively large construction companies in Government Department construction contracts; and what measures regarding (a) aggregation, (b) contract bundling and (c) framework agreements she has implemented to ensure that businesses are offered a more level playing field.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Over the past year OGC and the Small Business Service have jointly undertaken research to identify the barriers to effective competition in the government marketplace. No specific research has been conducted in the construction sector.
	Aggregation, contract bundling and framework agreements were all raised by small firms as being barriers to accessing the government market. OGC is reviewing best practice in each of these areas to ensure optimum value for money.

Small Businesses

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the mission statement of small business/Europe is.

Nigel Griffiths: The mission statement of small business/Europe is to maximise the interests of UK small and medium-sized businesses at the European Union level.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the regulatory impact assessments which are relevant to small businesses have attracted comments from the Small Business Council.

Nigel Griffiths: None. It is the role of the Small Business Service to comment on individual regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) and not the Small Business Council.

Engineering Industry

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the earnings on the services account by engineering consultancies and the proportion of exports from the United Kingdom that are manufactured goods.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Information on the overseas earnings of engineering consultancies is given in Table C8.2 of UK Trade in Services 2000 which was published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In 2000, the latest year for which figures are available, this industry earned £1,449 million from exports overseas, representing 2 per cent. of UK exports of services.
	According to information published by ONS in the Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, UK exports of manufactured goods in 2001 were worth £160.7 billion, representing 84 per cent. of exports of goods, or 60 per cent. of exports of goods and services, together.

Engineering Industry

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the statement of the working group set up by the Hawley Review in the report "Universe of Engineering" on the research needed to estimate the number of people who practise engineering.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The "Universe of Engineering" Report was produced by The Royal Academy of Engineering to assist The Hawley Group in its review of the Engineering Council and the needs of the wider engineering and technology community in the UK. The Report concluded that at least 2 million people are now employed in skilled engineering and technology jobs in this country, and that a new type of organisation, taking over from the Engineering Council, was required to support them.
	The Engineering and Technology Board (ETB) has been established for this purpose and is now starting work with the full support of Government. The ETB's principal aims are:
	(1) Start the reversal of the downward trends in the supply of people (of all ages) with qualifications and skills relevant to engineering and technology based careers and jobs.
	(2) Achieve a marked notable shift in public attitudes towards, and understanding of, engineering and technology in today's economy.
	(3) Build effective and valued links with business and industry, reflecting its real-time and future needs.

Transaction Costs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the level of transaction costs in the provision of equity finance to private business.

Nigel Griffiths: Although this Department has made no assessment of the impact of these costs, the Government appreciate that they have the effect of encouraging private equity investors to focus on larger investments. This makes it more difficult for smaller enterprises to raise finance and is one of the reasons we have launched Regional Venture Capital Funds to provide smaller amounts of equity capital to growth businesses.

Aerospace Industry

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on helping the aerospace industry since the incidents of 11 September 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: Both Ministers and Officials have been in contact with the major trade associations, aerospace companies, hon. Members and other bodies. We remain in contact with the major companies to discuss how to best manage the situation.

BNFL

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2001, Official Report, columns 163–64W, for what reason the profit and loss figures of BNFL Inc. are commercially confidential;
	(2)  pursuant to her answers of 20 November 2001, Official Report, columns 163–64W, 15 January 2002, Official Report, column 153W and 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 522W, on BNFL, on what basis she has refused to provide profit and loss figures for BNFL Inc.

Brian Wilson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 November 2001, Official Report, columns 163–64W.
	BNFL has assured me that it complies with all requirements placed on it by financial regulators in the US and the UK.

Smurfit Corrugated, Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people who lose their jobs at Smurfit Corrugated, Warrington, are helped to find alternative employment.

Alan Johnson: Cheshire and Warrington Business Link is working with the company to see exactly what support Smurfit Corrugated employees need from the Small Business Service. This is likely to include benefits advice, careers guidance, training and help with identifying job vacancies. The North West Development Agency is also aware of the situation and is considering, with the Employment Service, whether Rapid Response Funds are required.

Pay Differentials

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average gap between men's and women's pay in the Stafford constituency is.

Alan Johnson: Estimates for the parliamentary constituency of Stafford are not available. According to the 2001 New Earnings Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics, average hourly pay for full-time employees excluding overtime in Staffordshire was £10.43 for men and £8.67 for women, a gap of £1.76.

Pay Differentials

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average gap between men's and women's pay is in Milton Keynes, South-West at the latest date for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: Estimates for the parliamentary constituency of Milton Keynes, South-West are not available. According to the 2001 New Earnings Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics, average hourly pay for full-time employees excluding overtime in the Milton Keynes Unitary Authority, was £12.53 for men and £10.03 for women, a gap of £2.50.

Fishing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her scheme to compensate British fishermen for the loss of fishing when Iceland extended her fishing limit to 200 miles applies to statutory or nautical miles.

Nigel Griffiths: The 200 "miles" in the scheme rules applies to imperial miles and not nautical miles.

Fishing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for compensation for the loss of Icelandic fishing jobs have been submitted from (a) Fleetwood, (b) Grimsby and (c) Hull; how many from each port have (i) been paid, (ii) gone to appeal and (iii) gone to arbitration; and how many for each port have been reported.

Nigel Griffiths: The table shows the available information.
	
		
			  Port  Paid Compensation Requests to review the decision Appeals to the Independent Adjudicator 
		
		
			 Hull 1,489 444 48 
			 Grimsby/Cleethorpes 701 298 56 
			 Fleetwood/Blackpool 312 135 20 
			 Aberdeen 158 205 13 
			 Other 889 122 13 
			 Total 3,549 1,204 150 
		
	
	Excluding duplicates, a total of 7,740 claims have been made. I regret that there is no breakdown by port of this figure.

Climate Change Levy

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what calculation has been made of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the nuclear energy industry; and what estimate has been made of the annual cost to the nuclear industry of meeting the climate change levy.

Brian Wilson: As with any large project, the process of constructing a nuclear power station will lead to carbon dioxide emissions but these will be negligible in relation to the lifetime generation capacity of the plant. Generation of nuclear electricity does not produce any significant carbon dioxide emissions. It is estimated that in 2001 in the absence of nuclear generation, emissions of carbon dioxide would have been between 11 and 22 MtC higher, depending on the mix of generation used to replace it.
	The climate change levy (CCL) falls on supplies of electricity to business users rather than on electricity generators. The amount attributable to nuclear generation will depend on the extent to which consumers of nuclear electricity are domestic consumers or are businesses which are eligible for reductions in the rate of levy. For each terawatt hour of electricity supplied to business customers the CCL at the full rate would amount to £4.3 million.

Fireworks

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on reducing nuisance caused by fireworks.

Melanie Johnson: I understand the depth of current concerns about fireworks, particularly in relation to neighbourhood safety, noise and nuisance. We are now actively considering with relevant government departments what action can be taken within existing legislation to address these growing problems. I am also having further talks with the industry.

Global Crossing (Ministerial Hospitality)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the dates that Ministers in her Department have received hospitality in their ministerial capacities since 1 January 1999 from Global Crossing; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Offers of hospitality are accepted and registered in line with the requirements of paragraph 139 of the Ministerial Code.

Paragon Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the activities of Paragon Finance following the judgment in the case of Paragon Finance plc v. Nash and Another, Sane v. Stanton and Another held before Lord Justices Thorpe, Dyson and Astill on 15 October 2001.

Melanie Johnson: I have received correspondence concerning this case and it was also raised in some of the responses to DTI's recent consultation on reform of our consumer credit legislation. I am aware that the case has important implications for our plans to make the extortionate credit provisions of the Consumer Credit Act more effective and we will be studying the judgment carefully as we develop our proposals.

Loan Sharks

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to reform the Consumer Credit Act to tackle loan sharks; and if she will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department is in the process of reviewing the Consumer Credit Act in order to improve consumer protection against unfair lending practices. I published the summary of responses to our consultation paper "Tackling loan sharks—and more" on 18 February. The summary contains a provisional timetable for when DTI expects to publish further consultation papers on our plans to modify the Consumer Credit Act and improve consumer protection against unfair lending practices. The summary also sets out the following priorities for the review:
	Improving the consumer credit licensing regime;
	Making the extortionate credit provisions more effective;
	Increasing consumer protection by changing the Consumer Credit Act's financial limit and categories of exempt agreements and simplifying the rules on multiple agreements;
	Enabling consumers to conclude credit agreements on-line;
	Simplifying the advertising regulations, including the regulations on the Annual Percentage Rate (APR);
	Amending the rules on early settlement, and;
	Implementing recommendations by the Task Force on overindebtedness. Copies of both the consultation paper and the summary of responses have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

British Steel Exports

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to facilitate the export of British steel products to the USA.

Brian Wilson: The US market is open to UK steel exporters. We are working closely with the European Commission to try to ensure that the US Government do not impose unilateral restrictions on steel imports. In addition, Ministers are taking every opportunity to lobby against any action by the US to restrict imports, which would be totally unjustified.

LNM Holdings

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if her Department was consulted by the Prime Minister's Office on the letter sent by the Prime Minister to the Romanian Government supporting the bid for Sidex steel by LNM Holdings.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 28 February 2002
	No.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 17 December 2001 regarding fireworks.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 28 February 2002
	My hon. Friend was sent a reply dated 26 February 2002.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Cheshire Police Authority

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on (a) the level of deducted grant taken from the Cheshire police authority 2001–02 baseline and (b) the relationship the deducted grant has with that attributable to National Crime Squad and National Criminal Intelligence Service funding.

John Denham: The 2001–02 grant baseline was notionally adjusted to allow like-for-like comparison with 2002–03, following the transfer of funding for the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and the National Crime Squad (NCS) in 2002–03.
	As a result, the notionally revised grant for Cheshire police authority for 2001–02 became £96.6 million. Actual grant was £99.2 million, a difference of £2.6 million.
	The levies paid by Cheshire in 2001–02 for NCS and NCIS were £2.6 million.
	Cheshire police authority will receive grant in 2002–03 of £99.0 million—an increase of 2.5 per cent. on the adjusted figure for 2001–02. No police authority will receive less than a 2.3 per cent. increase on the adjusted notional figure.

Police and Judiciary (Training)

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to ensure that (a) the police force, (b) the Crown Prosecution Service and (c) judges take part in continuing training programmes, so they can identify and respond to the needs and concerns of people with a learning disability.

John Denham: The basic training received by all recruits to the police service includes an element designed to raise awareness of all disabilities, including learning disabilities, and to highlight the importance of communicating effectively and sensitively with people suffering from mental illness and mental disorder. In addition, forces provide further training to meet local needs.
	For the future, we are developing national occupational standards and a core curriculum which will identify the knowledge and skills required for officers' roles and any training requirements.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provides a number of training courses, which consider the needs of people with disabilities (including learning disabilities) both as victims of crime and as employees of the service.
	The following training is available to staff and specifically considers the requirements of customers and staff with learning disabilities:
	Diversity Training
	Direct Communication with Victims and Witnesses
	Disability Discrimination Act Training
	Speaking Up for Justice Training.
	Judicial education is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB). The JSB comprises six committees one of which is the Equal Treatment Advisory Committee which issued the Equal Treatment Bench Book to all judges. A chapter in the Bench Book gives advice on identifying and responding to the needs and concerns of people with a learning disability. Continuing training is carried out by seminars organised by the criminal, civil and family committees of the JSB.

Police Houses

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police houses are empty; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many police houses, other than right-to-buy houses, were sold in 2000–01.

John Denham: Information on the number of empty police houses is not held centrally.
	The number of police houses sold in 2000–01 was 620. No information is available on the terms under which the houses were sold.
	In its report entitled "Action Stations—Improving the Management of the Police Estate" (published March 1999), the Audit Commission recommended that police forces identify and dispose of buildings that were unsuitable or had maintenance liabilities which were beyond the forces' means. Further it recommended that the remaining residential estate was rationalised. In some cases, for example, it may be appropriate to sell off some vacant accommodation in order to refurbish and bring back into use other accommodation.
	In those areas where high housing costs are hindering recruitment and retention of police officers, allocations from the starter home initiative (SHI) will help about 1,100 police staff to buy first homes over the next three years. In Surrey about 40 police staff are expected to benefit from rounds one and two of the SHI.
	We have also recently agreed with the Department of Health that the role of the National Health Housing Co-ordinator will be extended to cover the police service.

Police Secondments

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the cost borne by the Dorset police authority of secondments to (a) the NCIS, (b) the Police Staff College, (c) police training centres, (d) the International Police Task Force in Bosnia and (e) Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

John Denham: holding answer 25 February 2002
	I have been advised by the chief constable of Dorset that while an officer is seconded to the bodies named in the question, their pay, allowances and overtime are met initially by Dorset police but all costs are subsequently recharged to the seconding body. There are therefore no direct costs to Dorset police authority arising from these secondments.

Lancet Inquiry

Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers he has to seek reimbursement of the costs of the Lancet inquiry.

John Denham: holding answer 25 February 2002
	There are no powers to press for reimbursement of the costs of the Lancet inquiry.
	I recognise that the Operation Lancet investigation placed a significant burden on Cleveland police authority. Because of the length and complexity of the investigation a special grant of £1.9 million was made to the authority in March 2001.

Brixton Police

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 56W, on Brixton police, how many staff were absent during the period; and what the total number of staff is at Brixton police station.

John Denham: Statistics on absences are not available for Brixton police station separately from the whole of the borough of Lambeth. There are 240 police officers and 130 civilian support staff at Brixton police station; some of these staff have responsibilities relating to the whole of Lambeth.

Brixton Police

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 56W, on Brixton police, if he will list the periods during 2001 when Brixton police were unable to accept telephone reports of minor crime.

John Denham: I understand that the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make a substantive reply to the letter of 29 January from the hon. Member for Thurrock concerning his constituent, Andrew Palmer of East Tilbury; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: I replied to my hon. Friend's letter of 29 January 2002 on 25 February 2002.

Humberside Police

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of days sickness absence per year for (a) police officers and (b) support staff was in each of the past five years for Humberside police.

John Denham: The information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Police Officers 12 12 8 9 9 
			 Support Staff 12 10 8 10 11

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps were taken to alert residents of Thirleigh and Clayham, Bedfordshire, that an escape of detainees had taken place at the Yarl's Wood removal centre on 14 February.

Angela Eagle: I understand from Bedfordshire police that, as a precautionary measure, a general warning was issued to the public on the night of the incident to stay inside with windows and doors locked.

Yarl's Wood

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that Bedfordshire county council is not financially disadvantaged by the destruction of the Yarl's Wood Detention Centre.

Angela Eagle: There is no reason to believe that Bedfordshire county council will be financially disadvantaged by the incident at Yarl's Wood removal centre.

Asylum Seekers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers there are in each unitary or borough in Essex broken down by (a) country of origin and (b) gender.

Angela Eagle: The information is not available in the form requested.
	The availability of information on the location of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom (UK) is currently linked to the support the asylum seeker receives. Asylum seekers in the UK are receiving support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), local authorities and the Department for Work and Pension (DWP), or are supporting themselves.
	Currently asylum seekers supported by NASS are not dispersed to Essex because NASS has no dispersal accommodation there. Some asylum seekers supported by NASS find their own accommodation and receive vouchers from NASS. From available information, as at the end of December 2001, there were 1,690 asylum seekers (including dependants) in receipt of voucher only support in the east of England (which includes Essex).
	For asylum seekers supported by local authorities, DWP or who support themselves, no information is held centrally on the numbers living in Essex.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he plans to revise his target of 30,000 removals per year of failed asylum seekers.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The 30,000 target (2,500 per month) for the removal of failed asylum seekers has always been ambitious and high risk, but our continued expectation is to achieve that removal rate in the next financial year.
	The full impact of the incident at Yarl's Wood has yet to be assessed. However, any measures taken are expected to be short term. At this current point in time it is not our intention to revise our removals target.

"Secure Borders, Safe Haven"

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the responses to the various consultation exercises announced in his White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven".

Angela Eagle: The Government will place copies of responses to the White Paper from organisations in the Library unless they have indicated they do not wish their responses to be published.
	Decisions on publication of the responses to the consultation exercises in respect of working holidaymakers and entitlement cards will be made later in the year.

Car Theft

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with car manufacturers about reducing the incidence of car theft.

John Denham: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The principal forum for such discussions is the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team. This was set up in 1998 under the chairmanship of the Director of Fleet Operations at the Ford Motor Company to develop, and oversee the implementation of, initiatives to meet the Government's target to reduce vehicle crime by 30 per cent. over five years. Members of the action team include the chief executives of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and the Retail Motor Industry Federation. It meets three times a year, with additional meetings of its executive committee, and has in our view been an outstanding success.

Private Medical Insurance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 57W, on private medical insurance, how many police authority employees will be covered by the private medical insurance scheme begun in November 2001; what assessment he has made of the reasons for Surrey police authority choosing to take out private medical insurance; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The chief constable of Surrey police informs me that about 2,800 police staff are covered by the private insurance scheme arranged by Surrey police authority.
	The reasons given by the force for introducing the scheme are that it will help reduce sickness absence and ill health retirements and increase officer availability.

Chelmsford Prison

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the maximum capacity is for prisoners at Chelmsford prison; and how many prisoners are housed in the prison;
	(2)  what plans he has to increase the maximum number of prisoners at Chelmsford prison; by how many prisoners he plans to increase capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: On 25 February 2002 the operational capacity of Chelmsford prison was 531. This includes an increase of 30 places effective from 25 February 2002. On 27 February 2002 the population of the prison was 529. Consideration is being given to increasing the operational capacity by a further 45 places.

Child Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authorities within England and Wales have been involved in cases of child abuse; what resources have been utilised to service each investigation as a percentage of the total budget allocated to each police authority in each year since 1996; and what definition is used for a victim and complainant.

John Denham: I have been informed by the Association of Chief Police Officers that all authorities are likely to have been involved in investigation of cases of child abuse and all authorities will have family protection units.
	It is for the chief officer to determine what level of resources should be allocated to any investigation. Provision will vary between cases.
	Central records of numbers of cases and resources employed are not held.
	A widely recognised definition of 'victim' is that of the European Union Council Framework Decision of 15 March 2001:
	"Victim shall mean a natural person who has suffered harm, including physical or mental injury, emotional suffering or economic loss, directly caused by acts or omissions that are in violation of the criminal law of a member state""
	There is no formal definition of "complainant".

Asylum Seekers Accommodation Centres

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people he plans to accommodate in accommodation centres for asylum seekers; what length of average stay is planned; and what range of facilities will be provided.

Angela Eagle: The accommodation centre trial will be based on 3,000 places, spread across four centres.
	It is not possible to specify what an average length of stay will be, at this stage. We intend, as my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary said in the House on 7 February 2002, Official Report, column 1039, that no asylum seeker should be in an accommodation centre for in excess of six months.
	A range of facilities will be provided on site. They will include health care, interpretation, education for both adults and children (including English language), and other purposeful activities such as information technology classes and volunteering. Residents will also have access to legal advice.

Asylum Seekers Accommodation Centres

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the sites that have been identified as potential sites for accommodation centres for asylum seekers.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 57W.

Asylum Seekers Accommodation Centres

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to locate all residential asylum facilities in areas with ready access to the emergency services.

Angela Eagle: As part of the initiative to develop new removal centres and trial accommodation centres for asylum seekers, the Home Office will consult and take account of the views of the relevant emergency services.

Asylum Seekers Accommodation Centres

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 57W, on asylum accommodation centres, what the distance to the nearest (a) primary school, (b) secondary school, (c) special school, (d) further education college, (e) railway station, (f) bus stop, (g) post office, (h) chemist, (i) hospital, (j) leisure centre, (k) library and (l) Immigration Appellate Authority appeal centre is for each proposed site.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 4 March 2002
	We have not collected the information requested by my hon. Friend. Accommodation centres will have a range of on-site services and will provide for transport where necessary.

Police Officers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on changes made to the recruitment criteria for police officers in England and Wales in the last five years; and what further changes he plans.

John Denham: The Police Regulations 1995 (as amended) set out qualifications for appointment to a police force.
	The Home Office provides medical and eyesight guidelines. These were issued in Home Office Circular (HOC) 9/95 and last revised in March 1998 by HOC 7/98.
	A Home Office project is under way to establish national recruitment standards (NRS) for the police service. It is reviewing all current entry requirements, to ensure they are job-related, evidence-based and non- discriminatory.
	NRS guidelines on age, previous criminal convictions and tattoos were issued in October 2001.
	We are putting in place a national fitness test for recruitment. The intention is that from 1 April 2002 recruits should be tested using the job-related fitness test (JRFT), against a set national standard.
	A change to the nationality requirement for entry to the police service was published in the Police Reform Bill on 25 January. It will allow European Economic Area (EEA) and other foreign nationals who are living in the United Kingdom free of restrictions to join the police service.
	As part of the NRS project the medical and eyesight guidelines are currently under review, with recommendations due this summer.
	A review of the police initial recruitment test (PIRT) is also taking place to ensure that it is job-related, non-discriminatory and consistent with the national competency framework.
	We are currently developing a common competency based application form and pack consistent with the national competency framework which will be used by all forces.
	The NRS work is due to be completed by April 2003.

British Overseas Citizens

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he plans to make to the special voucher scheme.

Angela Eagle: The special voucher scheme was introduced in 1968 in recognition of the specific hardship being suffered at that time by British Overseas Citizen (BOC) passport holders and their dependants, who were under political pressure to leave their countries of residence in East Africa, but who held no other citizenship and had nowhere else to go. Several thousand BOCs and other United Kingdom passport holders took advantage of the scheme and settled in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 1980s.
	However, the world political situation has now changed and BOCs are no longer under threat of expulsion. They have, over the intervening years, either settled with their families in the new independent East African countries or, alternatively, some have moved with their families to India. Their families have now grown up and have families of their own.
	There are relatively few applications for special vouchers these days and those who do apply are not being pressured to leave the country in which they reside. The scheme no longer serves the purpose for which it was set up. The Government have therefore decided that the time has come to abolish the scheme, with immediate effect. No new applications for special vouchers will be considered.

Attacks on Pensioners

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated annual cost is of prosecuting individuals who have carried out criminal attacks on pensioners in each of the last three years.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Such information is not collated and so could be found only involving a disproportionate cost.

DEFENCE

Departmental Retirement Ages

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the retirement ages that apply to the employees of his Department and its agencies, including how many and which categories of employees are affected by each; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on flexible retirement.

Lewis Moonie: Two-thirds of the Ministry of Defence's civilian work force of some 90,000 employees, mainly support, technical and industrial grades, have the options to retire at any time between 60 and 65. The remainder, most of whom are in managerial, professional and technical grades, have a normal retirement age of 60. Following the publication of the Government's Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment the MOD, like other Government Departments, has been reviewing its retirement policy and we expect to announce the findings in the next few weeks.
	MOD uses the full range of options for flexible retirement which are available under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme to meet its business needs and in response to the individual preferences of employees where this is possible.

Mobile Telephones

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list, for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, the amount spent (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) its non-departmental public bodies on (1) providing mobile telephone equipment, including handsets and other associated equipment, (2) telephone calls made using such equipment and (3) telephone calls made using privately owned mobile telephones but subsequently reclaimed by (x) Ministers and (y) staff.

Lewis Moonie: This information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I am therefore unable to provide a substantive answer under the terms of Exemption 9 (voluminous and vexatious requests) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Nuclear Decommissioning

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure he incurred on the decommissioning and clean-up of nuclear materials, equipment and facilities in each year since 1997; and how much he expects to incur in this financial year.

Lewis Moonie: Expenditure on the decommissioning and clean-up of nuclear materials, equipment and facilities for the past four financial years is shown in the table together with expected expenditure in this financial year.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 124.387 
			 1998–99 152.211 
			 1999–2000 114.721 
			 2000–01 224.602 
			 2001–02 (1)203.081 
		
	
	(1) Expected expenditure
	The figures include Ministry of Defence's contribution to BNFL and UKAEA waste management and decommissioning costs and the costs of running UK NIREX Ltd.

Refurbishment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in each year since May 1997.

Lewis Moonie: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Relatively small costs, such as the ad hoc purchase of furniture, were involved as the offices are being redeveloped as part of the Main Building Redevelopment PPP contract signed in May 2000.

Refurbishment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of buildings refurbishment carried out by his Department between 1992 and 1997.

Lewis Moonie: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Refurbishment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost is of the public private partnership for the redevelopment of his Department's main building in Whitehall.

Lewis Moonie: The costs to the Ministry of Defence will be some £55 million per annum at March 2000 prices over the 30 years of the public private partnership contract. This encompasses the short-term decant arrangements as well as the long-term provision of a wide variety of services to both the redeveloped Main Building and the Old War Office Building.

Defence Housing Executive

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many families are waiting for accommodation broken down by region; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Defence Housing Executive holds the details of (a) which families will be placed in houses awaiting families and (b) when the families will be placed in specific properties; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Defence Housing Executive (DHE) provides housing to meet the entitled Service applicants' required dates for accommodation. When DHE accommodation is unavailable, Substitute Service Families Accommodation (SSFA) is provided by DHE from the private rental market. In the quarter October to December 2001, the last period for which information is available, there were no known cases of entitled Service families, having applied for Service Families Accommodation, being left without accommodation. Each DHE Area Office holds details of DHE or SSFA properties that have been allocated to Service families and the families' planned move-in dates. If the hon. Member has a specific case in mind perhaps he would let me know.

The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many lawyers are employed by DERA; and at what cost in the last 12 months.

Lewis Moonie: As part of the implementation of the DERA public-private partnership, the DERA Trading Fund Agency was disestablished on 1 July 2001. From its constituent parts two new organisations were created: QinetiQ plc, a wholly Government owned company, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an agency of the Ministry of Defence.
	Prior to vesting of the company, DERA employed three lawyers and 11 patent attorneys and would have also used the services of the MOD's legal department and consulted external legal advisers where appropriate. These costs fell to a number of different departments within the former DERA and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Since vesting, Dstl has used the services of the MOD's legal department and occasionally employed external legal advisers. QinetiQ employs six barristers/solicitors and 11 patent attorneys to deal in the main with intellectual property matters. It also employs external lawyers as and when necessary in connection with its joint venture and other business activities. In addition, a number of external lawyers have been contracted to advise on aspects of the PPP, including intellectual property, trademark and contractual issues. I am withholding details of costs in accordance with Exemption 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Special Urgency Provisions

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often the Department has applied the special urgency provisions in paragraph 22 of Circular 18/84 (Development by Government Departments) to a development by the Department; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence Police

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent guidance has been given to the MDP on the compatibility of their responsibilities for guarding (a) civil and (b) defence sites; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The primary responsibility of the Ministry of Defence police is to provide policing services to the Ministry of Defence. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 December 2001, Official Report, column 176W to my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Dr. Palmer), about the ongoing Quinquennial Review of the MDP. The MDP will however continue to provide certain policing services, as now, to external customers on repayment terms.

Submarines

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when it is planned that each of the S and T class fleet submarines will be paid off.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 4 March 2002
	HMS Swiftsure was operationally decommissioned in 1992. The planned operational decommissioning dates for the remainder of the Royal Navy's S class submarines are given in the table.
	
		
			  Swiftsure class SSN Planned operational decommissioning date 
		
		
			 HMS Sovereign 2005 
			 HMS Superb 2006 
			 HMS Sceptre 2010 
			 HMS Spartan 2006 
			 HMS Splendid 2003 
		
	
	The planned operational decommissioning dates for the Royal Navy's Trafalgar class submarines are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Trafalgar class SSN Planned operational decommissioning date 
		
		
			 HMS Trafalgar 2007 
			 HMS Turbulent 2008 
			 HMS Tireless 2011 
			 HMS Torbay 2021 
			 HMS Trenchant 2023 
			 HMS Talent 2017 
			 HMS Triumph 2019

QinetiQ

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was to QinetiQ of its proposal to base the future strategic tanker aircraft fleet at Boscombe Down airfield.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 4 March 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 April 2001, Official Report, column 368W, on the costs incurred by DERA, prior to its disestablishment as part of the DERA PPP on 1 July 2001, on its bid to base the future strategic tanker aircraft fleet at Boscombe Down. Information relating to any further costs incurred by QinetiQ since it was vested as a plc is commercial in confidence and is therefore withheld under Exemption 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

RAF Chilmark

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have been (a) the costs to date of achieving certificated explosive ordnance clearance, (b) the revenue from sale of part of the site and (c) the area sold at RAF Chilmark.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The cost over five years since the closure of RAF Chilmark for clearing explosive ordnance has been in the region of £1.7 million. Receipts from sales of parts of the site since the closure total £1.5 million. The area of RAF Chilmark which has been sold is 65.2 hectares (161 acres).

Axis Chemical Weapons

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the classification of documents relating to the dumping of Axis chemical weapons in the Baltic Sea by the Allies after World War Two.

Lewis Moonie: In accordance with custom and practice after World War Two, many records of sea disposals of munitions, including chemical weapons (CW), were destroyed when they were perceived to be of no further administrative use. As a result of this practice, a detailed inventory of all munitions and CW dumped at sea does not exist.
	Where relevant British records on sea dumpings of munitions and CW have survived, these have been declassified and transferred to the Public Record Office in accordance with the terms of the Public Records Act, 1958 and 1967. Furthermore, as the disposals took place largely between 1945 and 1948, prior to the creation of NATO, we are not aware of any NATO papers on this issue.

War Cemeteries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the French Government about plans to build on war cemeteries for a new Paris airport.

Lewis Moonie: Her Majesty's Government have made no representations to the French Government about plans to build on war cemeteries for a new Paris airport. At this stage the matter is entirely the responsibility of the French authorities. However, following media speculation about the possibility that First World War cemeteries containing some British and Commonwealth casualties may be affected if the project goes ahead, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is responsible for the maintenance of the graves, has written to the French Ministry of the Interior seeking further clarification of the proposals. They have drawn attention to the concern expressed in the UK and have asked to be kept informed of any developments.

War Cemeteries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the Belgian Government on plans to extend the A19 over war cemeteries.

Lewis Moonie: The Government have had no discussions with the Belgian Government regarding the proposal to extend the A19 motorway across a previously undeveloped section of Pilckem Ridge, a battlefield in the Ypres Salient. In view of the number of British soldiers who lost their lives in this campaign and whose bodies were never found, it has been suggested that the area should remain untouched as an historical heritage site, but this is a matter for the Belgian Government to decide on.
	However, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has had discussions with the Belgian authorities seeking clarification of the proposals. The Commission has been assured that while the proposed route has not as yet been finalised, it will not interfere with any of the cemeteries it maintains.

US Visiting Forces

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total strength is of US visiting forces based in the UK; and where they are located.

Adam Ingram: As at 28 February 2002, 13,457 members of the United States visiting forces were present in the United Kingdom. Numbers of the USVF by location are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Site USVF numbers at each site 
		
		
			 RAF Alconbury/Molesworth/Upwood 1,098 
			 RAF Croughton/Barford St. John 377 
			 RAF Daws Hill/West Ruislip Eastcote/USN London 1,118 
			 RAF Digby 47 
			 RAF Fairford/Welford 189 
			 RAF Feltwell 132 
			 RAF Fylingdales 1 
			 RAF Hythe 5 
			 RAF Lakenheath 4,853 
			 RAF Menwith Hill 1,396 
			 RAF Mildenhall 3,913 
			 Northwood 18 
			 RAF Oakhanger 1 
			 RAF St. Mawgan 309 
		
	
	In addition, there are approximately 140 US service personnel present in the UK, mainly serving in singleton posts at a wide variety of locations who are either participating in UK/US exchange programmes or engaged in specific bilateral projects or operational posts.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Rothwell/Desborough Bypass

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when construction work will commence on the A6 Rothwell/ Desborough bypass.

David Jamieson: The contract for the construction of the A6 Rothwell/Desborough bypass was awarded on 13 February. Depending on how quickly the Contractor can set up his site and mobilise his work force, work could start on site shortly after Easter.

Heathrow Terminal 5

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed terminal 5 at Heathrow on the air services of the nations and regions of the UK.

John Spellar: The possible impact of Terminal 5 on regional air services was considered at the planning inquiry. In section 8.6.6 of the main report on Terminal 5 the inspector states that he does not consider that regional airports would be harmed if Terminal 5 were provided. The Secretary of State's reasons for his decision on Terminal 5 are set out in his decision letter of 20 November.

Airport Development

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to review his strategy for airport development in relation to local council borrowing.

David Jamieson: Our proposed air transport White Paper will provide a framework within which airports can plan for the future with greater certainty. Meanwhile soundly- financed local authority airport companies are already free to invest without public sector borrowing controls.

Rail Safety

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress is being made on implementing the recommendations of the Cullen report.

David Jamieson: The Government have asked the Health and Safety Commission, the regulator for railway safety, to ensure that action is taken on all the recommendations made by Lord Cullen.
	The HSC published an action plan in November 2001 on how each of the recommendations in part 1 of Lord Cullen's report would be taken forward. The HSC intend to publish shortly a detailed progress report on the implementation of these recommendations in the six-month period to 20 December 2001.
	The HSC are currently consulting the industry about implementing the recommendations in part 2 of Lord Cullen's report. They intend to issue a progress report in April 2002 for the period to 8 March 2002.
	The HSC's first progress report on the recommendations from the joint inquiry into train protection systems was published in September 2001. The second report will be published in the spring.

Local Authorities (Performance Assessment)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what changes he proposes to introduce to the performance assessment for local authorities.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to introduce a more coherent and integrated system of local government performance measures.

Alan Whitehead: In our White Paper—Strong Local Leadership-Quality Public Services—we announced that the Audit Commission would develop, in consultation with central and local government, a comprehensive performance assessment framework for local government. This will bring together the range of existing assessment processes to provide a coherent overall performance profile for each authority.
	Comprehensive performance assessment is at the heart of a significant move towards a more bespoke evaluation, inspection, support and intervention process for local authorities. It will provide Government, councils and the public with a clear performance profile for each council. This information will allow a proportionate action plan to be agreed with each authority to address areas of concern, better inform negotiation of targets and provide a robust basis for action to tackle poor performance.

Road Links (Mid Wales and West Midlands)

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the Environment Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales on improving road links between mid-Wales and the west midlands.

David Jamieson: My right hon. Friend and other Ministers are always willing to discuss these matters with the Assembly Secretary.

London Underground

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what percentage of the debt of the PPP deal for London Underground will be guaranteed by the Government.

John Spellar: The Government will not guarantee any of the debt raised by the infrastructure companies to support the plans for the modernisation of the tube.
	London Transport is currently consulting the Mayor and Transport for London on proposed contracts. The draft contract provides that in certain circumstances, should a private sector infrastructure company persistently breach the contract and should no alternative contractor be found, London Underground would take control of the infrastructure company and ensure that 95 per cent. of approved third-party bank and bond debt was repaid. None of the finance provided by the shareholders would be repaid, providing a strong incentive on them to meet contractual obligations to improve performance.

London Underground

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost of capital is for each PPP contract on the London Underground.

David Jamieson: I understand that London Underground intends to make information on the cost of capital on each contract publicly available following completion of the competitions. This information has already been made available to the Mayor and Transport for London by London Underground as part of the statutory consultation process.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he or his Department is due to make a recommendation on the arbiter for the PPP of London Undergound; what the date, or timing, related to their appointment is; what early expressions of interest have been received; what the bidding process required with respect to their appointment is; and what discussions there have been to date regarding their appointment.

David Jamieson: Section 225 of the GLA Act 1999 provides powers for the Secretary of State to appoint a PPP Arbiter. It also requires the Secretary of State to make such an appointment if requested in writing by a party to a PPP Agreement.
	London Underground is currently consulting the Mayor and Transport for London. Following this consultation, the Board of London Transport is expected to take a final decision on whether to proceed with the PPP contracts. If the LT Board confirms its decision of 7 February that it is minded to sign contracts, and subject to the Secretary of State's statutory decisions in relation to the PPP agreements, it is the intention of the Secretary of State:
	(a) to appoint a PPP Arbiter as soon as possible after completion of the PPP contracts, on a permanent basis;
	(b) to ensure that the PPP Arbiter is supported by appropriate staff with technical, legal and financial expertise and understanding of the contracts;
	(c) to consult London Underground, Metronet, Tubelines and Transport for London before making an appointment.
	Given the requirements for making public sector appointments, this will necessarily take some time. However, the Secretary of State recognises the need to prepare the Arbiter's office and ensure continuity with the negotiation of the PPP contracts. The Secretary of State therefore intends to take steps to put in place interim staff before a permanent appointment can be made.

Railtrack

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how he intends to improve the accountability of the successor to Railtrack to its passengers.

John Spellar: All potential bidders for Railtrack will need to take account of the guidelines issued in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 31 October 2001, Official Report, columns 669–71W. The guidelines specify, among other things, that bidders must satisfy the Secretary of State on their proposals for creating, at regional level, relationships with railway passenger and freight service operators and other stakeholders. They should also provide evidence of the confidence of relevant industry stakeholders to their proposals.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the Strategic Rail Authority has notified his Department of valuations of rail assets in the United Kingdom carried out by the Authority.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority has not carried out any valuations of rail assets. It has, however, estimated the cost of enhancing the network to the levels that would be needed to meet the Ten-Year Plan targets for the railways. This information is published in the Authority's Strategic Plan.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if the EU has placed conditions on the provision of state aid to Railtrack in administration.

David Jamieson: No conditions were placed on the provision of state aid.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  if his Department has placed an estimated valuation on rail assets in the United Kingdom;
	(2)  if his Department has carried out joint work with the Treasury to estimate the total valuation of rail assets in the United Kingdom;
	(3)  what work his Department has undertaken to estimate the total value of railway assets held by (a) Railtrack and (b) other rail-related organisations.

David Jamieson: The valuation of the assets of Railtrack Plc is a matter for the administrator. The valuation of other railway assets is a matter for the individual companies that own these assets.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2000, Official Report, column 783W, ref 36311, if he will list the reasons for the administrator's additional funding request; and how much is being requested for each area of need;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 783W, ref 36312, whether there are no such contingency plans.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 783W.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether the guarantees that he will provide to secure commercial funding for the Railtrack administrator are time-limited by the recent ruling of the European Commission on state aid.

David Jamieson: They are time limited.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 782W, ref 30239, whether the Ford Motor Company is being paid for his services.

David Jamieson: No.

West Coast Main Line

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the level of investment projected for the west coast main line as included in the Strategic Rail Authority's 10-year plan.

David Jamieson: The precise outputs of the west coast upgrade are currently under review by the Strategic Rail authority and the key stakeholders. Until the outputs are agreed the precise cost of the project will not be known. The plan makes it clear that the upgrade is a priority project.

West Coast Main Line

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what agreement has been reached on the allocation of capacity on the west coast main line.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority is in the course of a review, with Railtrack and the rail operators, of future capacity utilisation on the west coast main line. As and when specific proposals for capacity allocation arise, these will be subject to the approval of the Rail Regulator.

Housing Associations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he intends to take to monitor and cap salaries of registered social landlord chief executives.

Sally Keeble: Registered social landlords—better known as housing associations—are independent organisations. It is for them to decide the salaries of their senior staff, including chief executives. However, the Housing Corporation requires all housing associations to demonstrate good governance and to act in a way that maintains the sector's good reputation.

Regional Assemblies

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if, in referendums to establish a regional assembly, he will make it his policy to require a majority of the votes cast in each county, metropolitan or unitary council area constituting the region to be cast in favour of establishing such an assembly before approving its establishment.

Alan Whitehead: The forthcoming Regional Governance White Paper will set out our proposals for the referendums that must be held before a region can have an elected assembly.

Regional Assemblies

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether regional assemblies will levy a precept on council tax.

Alan Whitehead: The forthcoming Regional Governance White Paper will set out our proposals for the funding of elected regional assemblies.

Community Transport Services

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will introduce regulations to extend fuel duty rebate to community transport services.

Sally Keeble: We expect to introduce regulations shortly which will commence from 1 May this year that will provide a new entitlement to fuel duty rebate for a wide range of community transport services.

Transport (North-West)

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what research his Department has undertaken to ascertain the transport needs of the north-west for the decade from 2001.

John Spellar: The north-west Regional Assembly in consultation with the Government Office and other regional stakeholders have developed the draft Regional Transport Strategy which is part of the Regional Planning Guidance (RPG). The draft RPG was published by the north-west Regional Assembly in August 2001 and I am currently considering the report of the panel. I hope to make my announcement shortly and there will then be a twelve-week consultation period before the final RPG is published by the Secretary of State later this year.

Housing

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the amount of empty private sector housing in particular local authorities.

Sally Keeble: The amount of empty private sector housing in some areas is a cause for concern. We are tackling this problem in high demand areas by encouraging local authorities to adopt empty property reduction strategies. In low demand areas—including parts of east Lancashire—we are considering proposals for housing market renewal schemes. We cannot give commitments about resources ahead of the conclusions of the current spending review.

Councillors (Allowances)

Nick Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proposals he has to review allowances for councillors; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: Basic and special responsibility allowances are discretionary allowances, with levels set by individual local authorities, having regard to the recommendations of their independent remuneration panels. Allowance levels will be considered as part of our forthcoming research into the operation of new council constitutions.
	We are currently considering changes to the regime of travel and subsistence allowances for councillors. We propose that these allowances should also be discretionary and set locally. We consulted on these proposals in October of last year.

Local Government (Voting Methods)

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to introduce new methods of voting in local government.

Alan Whitehead: As announced to the House on 5 and 13 February, we have given approval to 31 local authorities to run electoral modernisation of the pilot authorities to run electoral modernisation pilot schemes in the May 2002 local and mayoral elections. In addition to using traditional voting methods and all-postal voting, over half of the pilot authorities will explore innovative ways in which people can vote electronically. This programme will test new and easier arrangements while at the same time maintaining the integrity and security of the ballot. It will mark an important step towards making the electoral system easier to use and more relevant to today's society.

Council Houses

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to increase the number of council houses being built (a) for and (b) by local authorities.

Sally Keeble: Support for new affordable housing is mainly available to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) via the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme. We are increasing this programme to over £1.2 billion by 2003–04, almost double the amount in 2000–01. Local authorities can also fund provision through their housing capital programme although we expect this to be done through RSLs owing to their greater ability to draw on private sources of funding. £2.6 billion has been provided to support housing investment by authorities in 2001–02, which is three times the amount made available in 1997–98.

Deprivation

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of Government policies to tackle small areas of deprivation.

Sally Keeble: Our National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal was built on an unprecedented exercise in joint working within and outside Government. 18 Policy Action Teams considered the whole range of policy problems affecting our most deprived neighbourhoods. Since the launch of the National Strategy in 2001 a research and evaluation strategy has been developed, which will look at all our neighbourhood renewal programmes and initiatives to identify what works, and why.

Local Government White Paper

Bill Rammell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the proposal for reform of capital financing for local government contained in the local government White Paper.

Alan Whitehead: We propose to allow local authorities to borrow without our consent, provided that the debt is affordable. Affordability will be assessed in accordance with a code being drawn up by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. We shall introduce legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Regional Planning

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans his Department has to increase the role of regional planning.

Sally Keeble: The Green Paper "Planning: delivering a fundamental change" sets out proposals for increasing the effectiveness of regional planning. The new statutory Regional Spatial Strategy will provide the longer term planning framework required for the preparation of the proposed Local Development Frameworks, Local Transport Plans, and other relevant strategies and programmes.

Eurostar

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the provision of direct Eurostar services between Scotland and continental Europe.

David Jamieson: It is for Eurostar to decide whether to run Regional Eurostar services from Scotland. The British Railways Board and an independent report for Government from Arthur D. Little have concluded that it is highly unlikely that Regional Eurostar services will be commercially viable at least until CTRL Section 2 opens in 2007.

Train Travel (South-East)

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the demand for train travel in the south-east over the next 10 years.

David Jamieson: The Government's 10-year plan assumptions about demand for train travel are set out in "Transport 2010: The Background Analysis".

Antisocial Behaviour

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour among tenants in the private rented sector.

Sally Keeble: The Government are committed to tackling antisocial behaviour across all housing tenures. We are striving to promote a healthier private-rented sector and to do this we recognise the importance of tackling the problem of tenants who behave in an antisocial manner.
	Much work has already been done across Government to try and tackle the problem. My own Department, for example, is currently considering responses to our recent consultation paper on the selective licensing of private landlords. This will ensure that in areas where local authorities adopt such a scheme all landlords meet minimum management standards and participate with others in dealing with antisocial tenants. We envisage that these powers will be available alongside the mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation, which although it is primarily concerned with targeting properties that are the highest risk to tenants, will also require that the licensee is a fit and proper person.

Road Safety

Jean Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he is taking to improve roadside safety outside schools.

David Jamieson: There is a wide range of measures available to local authorities to improve safety outside schools. As well as urban safety measures, such as 20 mph zones, they can, for example, designate no waiting areas outside school entrances and provide school crossing patrols. In many areas school travel plans consider safety within the wider context of journeys to and from school.

Housing Authorities

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many housing authorities have been designated consistently as band I authorities since this designation was introduced.

Sally Keeble: Since performance bandings in the Housing Investment Programme were first published in 1995 only one local authority—Derby, has maintained a top performance assessment throughout.

Planning Green Paper

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations from environmental groups he has received concerning the planning Green Paper.

Sally Keeble: A number of environmental groups have written to their Members of Parliament who have passed on the correspondence to Ministers. In addition we have had more than 3,000 consultation responses of which about 2,000 are from environmental groups or their members. The consultation period on the Green Paper ends on 18 March.

Departmental Overseas Visits

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many overseas visits have been undertaken by Parliamentary Private Secretaries in his Department at departmental expense in each of the last four years; and at what cost to public funds.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 25 February 2002
	Parliamentary Private Secretaries supporting Ministers in this Department or in the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions have not travelled overseas on Government business in the last four years.

Airline Group

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Government expect to receive the £35 million from the Airline Group for deferred sale proceeds.

David Jamieson: holding answer 25 February 2002
	The information on the date for payment of the deferred proceeds is commercially confidential.

Local Authority Houses

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the investment by English local authorities in new build of homes for rent in the past year; and if he will also list, per housing authority, by (a) joint venture and (b) other resources.

Sally Keeble: holding answer 25 February 2002
	Available information reported by local authorities about their capital investment during 2000–01 in the provision of new homes, including support for registered social landlords, has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Information collected by the Department on local authorities' funding of housing capital expenditure does not separately identify joint venture resources. The available information on funding for each local authority in England was provided in my answer of 27 February 2002 [Ref: 36621] to my hon. Friend.

Trunk Roads

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which roads have been de-trunked in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement on de-trunking.

David Jamieson: A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England published in July 1998 set out the Government's conclusions on its strategic review of the trunk road programme. These included a proposal to de-trunk roads not on the core network so that their management and improvement can be fully integrated with land use planning and the new local transport plans for delivering integrated transport.
	Some 1,900 miles of non-core trunk roads (about 30 per cent.) are in the process of being transferred to local authorities. The roads for which resource have been transferred to local authorities by means of the Special Grants Report and de-trunked as part of this programme are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Road  From  To Date of de-trunking 
		
		
			 A638 Junction with A1(M) Doncaster 1 April 2001 
			 A650 Westgate Hill Street A62 (Drigh Bypass) 1 April 2001 
			 A10 Junction with A505 Kings Lynn 1 May 2001 
			 A134 Kings Lynn Thetford 1 May 2001 
			 A12 Ipswich Lowestoft 1 June 2001 
			 A140 Needham Market Norwich 1 June 2001 
			 A361 A361 Southam Road/A422 Hennef Way Roundabout in Banbury Junction with B4100 Castle Street/Warwick Road 15 June 2001 
			 A423 Ryton-on-Dunsmore Roundabout A361 Southam Road /A422 Hennef Way Roundabout in Banbury 15 June 2001 
			 A15 (a) M180 (a) Humber Bridge 1 July 2001 
			  (b) Roundabout on north of Humber Bridge (b) Junction with Ferriby High Road 1 July 2001 
			 A6 Luton Bedford 31 August 2001 
			 A6 Junction with A45 Junction with A14/A6003 Burton Latimer 31 August 2001 
			 A43 M1 Junction 15A Junction with A16 Stamford 31 August 2001 
			 A428 Junction with A421 East of Bedford Northampton 31 August 2001 
			 B1525 (formerly part of A16) Junction with A15/A16, West of Market Deeping Junction with A16, North of Deeping Common 1 September 2001 
			 A557 M62 Junction 7 Runcorn—Widnes Bridge 1 December 2001 
			 A58 Leeds Halifax 28 January 2002 
		
	
	This excludes trunk roads that were transferred to Transport for London and also any de-trunking that has been implemented as part of improvement schemes.

Non-governmental Organisations

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list non-governmental organisations operating in the south-west region that receive public funds from his Department; and what amount of annual funding they received in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Alan Whitehead: The information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Air Traffic Control

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in relation to the New En Route Centre at Swanwick (a) what was the final commissioned cost, (b) how many extra air traffic control officers are employed and (c) what will be the estimated increased capacity at the new centre in each of the next five years; and by what means this will be achieved.

David Jamieson: The final commissioned cost of the New En Route Centre at Swanwick was £623 million. Approximately 80 extra air traffic controllers are employed there. Capacity increases at the new centre are planned to match peak demand over each of the next five years. This would be achieved by applying traditional air traffic control workload splitting (sectorisation) and traffic flow simplification (systemisation) improvements.

Transport Funding

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  for what purpose the funding budgeted but not used in the 2000–01 financial year for transport has been used subsequently;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the final figure for underspend in the 2001–02 transport budgets.

Alan Whitehead: Amounts carried forward into 2001–02 under end year flexibility arrangements were published in the Public Expenditure 2000–01 Provisional Outturn White Paper (Cm 5243). Amounts taken up, and the programmes for which they were taken up, were announced in written answers preceding supplementary estimates on 22 June 2001, Official Report, columns 12–13W; 28 November 2001, Official Report, columns 948–52W and 13 February 2002, Official Report, columns 398–401W.
	Estimated outturn for 2001–02 in respect of transport budgets will be published in my Department's annual report after the end of this financial year.

Shoreham Port Authority

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what criteria members of the Shoreham Port Authority are appointed by him.

David Jamieson: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Six appointments made by the Secretary of State to the Shoreham Port Authority are made after consultation with various stakeholder groups. These are: the Chamber of Shipping, Brighton and Hove council, Adur district council, the Shoreham Private Wharfingers and such persons appearing to the Secretary of State to be representative of organised labour as the Secretary of State thinks appropriate.
	Three appointments are made directly by the Secretary of State following public advertisement of these posts. The criteria for these posts will vary at the time of each vacancy depending on what skills, knowledge and experience are required on the board at that time.

Housing Market Renewal Fund

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the proposed housing market renewal fund.

Sally Keeble: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Low demand for housing is adding to the decline of many of our inner cities and towns, particularly in the north. It blights communities, and the lives of those who live in the areas affected. We are determined to tackle this, and the Government have made a commitment to turn around the incidence of low demand by 2010.
	A number of northern local authorities and housing associations have submitted a proposal to Government for a strategic housing market renewal fund to tackle areas of the country most adversely affected by low demand. We are considering the housing market renewal fund proposal in the context of the current spending review. We can make no commitments in advance of its conclusions.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: This information is not recorded centrally. The Department supports volunteering and allows staff both paid and unpaid time off for a range of voluntary public service.

Fair Trade

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether fair trade products are sold in his Department.

Alan Whitehead: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 396W. The Department supports the sale of fair trade products; some of them are on sale in staff canteens.

Asbestos

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what scientific evidence has been received in respect of white asbestos and the proposed control of asbestos at work regulations.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Research by Professor Peto and Health and Safety Executive epidemiologists, published in The Lancet on 4 March 1995 confirmed that building and maintenance workers are the largest group at risk of exposure to asbestos. At least a quarter of the 3,000 people now dying from asbestos related diseases have at some time worked in these trades. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations are therefore being tightened to ensure workers know where asbestos is in premises and can take appropriate precautions. A copy of the research paper is available in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Policies (Cities of London and Westminster)

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on Cities of London and Westminster constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Alan Whitehead: The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as such statistics are normally collected on the basis of administrative units (such as local authorities) rather than parliamentary constituencies.

Business Rates (Greater London)

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much revenue was raised from the business rate in the Greater London area during (a) the last 12 months and (b) each year since 1992.

Alan Whitehead: The table gives the revenue raised from business rates in Greater London for 1991–92 to 2000–01, and estimated revenue from business rates for 2001–02 and 2002–03. This information is based on returns provided by London boroughs and the City to the Department.
	
		£ billion 
		
			   Net business rate yield 
		
		
			 1991–92 3,211 
			 1992–93 3,272 
			 1993–94 3,149 
			 1994–95 2,845 
			 1995–96 2,802 
			 1996–97 3,191 
			 1997–98 3,090 
			 1998–99 2,793 
			 1999–2000 2,810 
			 2000–01 3,117 
			 2001–02 3,552 
			 2002–03 3,804 
		
	
	Revenue from business rates between 1991–92 and 2000–01 is based on local authorities' outturn net yield figures shown on the national non-domestic rates return (NNDR3). Figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 are based on the local authorities' net rate yield figure shown on the national non-domestic rates return (NNDR3). The net rate yield is the amount of business rates local authorities expect to collect.

Council Tax

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of increasing the number of council tax band rates; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: In the White Paper, "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services" (CM5237), we said that we would legislate to require properties to be revalued for council tax purposes every 10 years, that work on the first revaluation would commence in 2005 and that it would be completed in time for the council tax bills issued in 2007. We said that we would listen to the views of taxpayers and local government about council tax bands and related matters.

Council Tax

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the change in levels of band D council tax since 1997.

Alan Whitehead: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, gave to the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) on 9 January 2002, Official Report, column 849W.

Council Tax

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the average band D council tax level in (a) Greater London and (b) the City of Westminster for each year since 1992.

Alan Whitehead: Council tax was introduced in England in April 1993. The table shows the average band D council tax for the Greater London area, and the City of Westminster's own and area band D council tax for each financial year from 1993–94 to 2001–02. Council tax figures for 2002–03 are not yet available.
	
		£ 
		
			   Greater London City of Westminster  
			   Average band D council tax(2) Own band D council tax Area band D council tax(2) 
		
		
			 1993–94 558 131 295 
			 1994–95 534 73 245 
			 1995–96 576 189 275 
			 1996–97 616 206 295 
			 1997–98 651 203 304 
			 1998–99 687 212 325 
			 1999–2000 731 230 350 
			 2000–01 778 235 375 
			 2001–02 841 259 410 
		
	
	(2) The area council tax includes amounts collected for the Metropolitan Police and London Fire and Civil Defence Authority (1993–94 to 1999–2000), and the Greater London Authority (from 2000–01), as well as amounts collected for individual boroughs.

Housing (Supporting People Grant)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the funding streams that are being consolidated into the supporting people grant.

Sally Keeble: Supporting People will consolidate the following Funding Streams:
	SHMG (Supported Housing Management Grant from the Housing Corporation). This is a revenue grant which is paid to RSLs (registered social landlords) to fund the cost of support services. Only RSLs can receive this grant as the Housing Corporation only funds RSLs. It is a block grant, which is paid quarterly in advance.
	THBS (Transitional Housing Benefit System) this is an individual welfare benefit. It is paid as part of an individuals Housing Benefit entitlement to cover the cost of housing support. It was introduced in April 2000 as a means of identifying the amount of Housing Benefit paid for support, prior to transfer to the Supporting People pot. Providers must separate out the cost of support services that was previously just charged as part of the rent. From April 2003 support costs will be ineligible for housing benefit and transitional housing benefit will be transferred to the Supporting People pot.
	PAGS (Probation Accommodation Grants) this is a grant paid by the probation service for housing service for offenders. Each local probation service has a number of contracts with providers. The contract value will transfer to the pot. Until recently, part of the PAGs funding came from local authorities, this is no longer the case.
	HIA (Home Improvement Agencies) funding this is paid by the DTLR to local authorities to fund the cost of home improvement agency services. It has to be match funded by the authority. Continuing the local authority match funding for the life of the existing funding period will be a condition of the Supporting People grant paid to the authority by DTLR.
	Income support—this welfare benefit is paid to owner occupiers. It is used to fund housing support services in the leasehold sheltered sector. This will not be a big element of the pot but we are not sure yet of the precise size. We are working with DWP and the Benefits Agency on how to identify the recipients and costs.
	Funding from sources other than those listed above will not transfer to the Supporting People pot. We expect that there will continue to be a range of funding sources for housing related support. Authorities will be expected to establish all funding paid for services to ensure that they understand the full picture.

Housing (Supporting People Grant)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funds his Department has provided to local authorities and other agencies to fund the one-off transition costs to the supporting people framework.

Sally Keeble: The Government have allocated £40 million to local authorities to fund the implementation of the Supporting People programme in 2002–03. This is in addition to the £15.2 million allocated to local authorities in 2001–02. In addition, £3.5 million has been made available for provider organisations to help prepare for implementation.

Local Government Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the total cost to local authorities of implementing Best Value in (a) monetary terms and (b) terms of officer hours.

Alan Whitehead: No reliable estimates exist as to the costs incurred by local authorities in complying with their duty under the Local Government Act 1999, either in monetary or officer hour terms. Any such costs have to be set against the benefits of improved services. My Department has commissioned research from Cardiff Business School to consider both the costs and benefits of best value; their interim report is expected in April.

Local Government Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  when he expects to provide updated guidelines to local authorities on future applications for e-Government support funding; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to provide local authorities with the definitive strategy and detailed guidelines for implementation of the e-Government agenda; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what forward funding there will be for the next five years for local authorities implementing the Government's e-Government agenda; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what requirements there will be on local authorities to provide match funding for e-Government implementation; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: The Government have committed £350 over three years from 2001–02 to support local authorities making their services e-enabled. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government on 17 December 2001, Official Report, column 25W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Mr. Miller) on the funding that has been provided to date. We will announce detailed plans for the remainder of this funding with the publication of the draft National Strategy for consultation shortly.
	There are no match funding requirements for the allocation of e-government money as such. However, we have always made clear that funding from Government to local authorities would only be a contribution to the overall costs.

Local Government Finance

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much public money has been provided for the London borough of Haringey since 1997.

Alan Whitehead: London borough of Haringey have reported the following public funding.
	
		Revenue and capital grants paid to Haringey -- £000
		
			   Outturn Budget 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Central Government funding  
			 Revenue support grant 137,723 146,158 146,206 148,064 157,404 
			 Redistributed non-domestic rates 46,577 49,195 54,223 61,509 60,645 
			 SSA reduction grant 0 0 601 0 0 
			 Specific grants inside AEF(3) 14,079 22,126 35,856 61,243 64,970 
			   
			 Revenue grants paid into GFRA(4) 184,300 195,353 200,429 209,573 218,049 
			 Capital grants(5) 7,939 11,097 10,843 7,296 9,685 
			 Public funding 192,239 206,450 211,272 216,869 227,734 
		
	
	(3) Aggregate External Finance (AEF) is central Government support towards total standard spending. It comprises RSG, NNDR, and certain specific, supplementary and special grants. Specific grants inside AEF, reported asylum seekers grant increasing from £3.8 million in 1997–98 to £34.6 million in 2000–01. Haringey budgeted for £40 million asylum seekers grant in 2001–02.
	(4) This includes all revenue grants paid into the General Fund Revenue Account (GFRA), but may exclude certain public funding, for example from some non-departmental public bodies, which is recorded as income and is not separately identifiable.
	(5) Consists of central Government, non-departmental public bodies and National Lottery.
	Sources:
	1. Revenue Summary and GFRA Budget Estimates return.
	2. Capital Outturn returns and Capital estimate return.

Statutory Plans

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the statutory plans that each local authority is required to produce.

Alan Whitehead: The recent Local Government White Paper announced, as part of our commitment to decrease unnecessary bureaucracy, that we will reduce the number of plans local authorities are required to produce by one half. The research report published on 18 February 2002—"Review of Local Authority Statutory and Non-Statutory Service and Policy Planning Requirements"— will provide a vital steer in taking this forward.
	Of the 66 plans reviewed within the report, 31 are statutory. The titles of these plans, and details of the Department/agency with responsibility for them, are as listed. Further details of the nature and purpose of each plan are set down within the research report.
	DTLR
	Best Value Performance Plan
	Community Strategy
	Homelessness Strategy (forthcoming duty under Homelessness Act, 2002)
	Development Plans: Local Plan
	Development Plans: Minerals Local Plan (in non UDP areas)
	Development Plans: Structure Plan
	Development Plans: Unitary Development Plan
	Development Plans: Waste local Plan (in non UDP areas)
	Local Transport Plan
	DEFRA
	Local Air Quality Action Plan
	Home Energy Conservation Report
	Rights of Way Improvement Plan
	Strategy to Identify Contaminated Land
	Waste Recycling Plan
	DH
	Community Care Plan
	Health Improvement and Modernisation Plan
	Quality Protects Management Action Plan
	Training/Human Resources Plan
	HSE
	Off Site Emergency Plan
	Pipeline Safety Emergency Plan
	HO
	Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy
	Youth Justice Plan
	CO
	Civil Defence Plan
	DCMS
	Annual Library Plan
	Accessibility Strategy
	DfES
	Behaviour Support Plan
	Class Sizes Plan
	Early Years Development and Childcare Plan
	Education Development Plan
	Office for Standards in Education and Teaching (Ofsted) Action Plan
	School Organisation Plan.

Green Belt Land

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in what circumstances his Department does not call in planning consents granted by local authorities for green belt land.

Sally Keeble: The Secretary of State's general approach is not to interfere with the jurisdiction of local planning authorities unless it is necessary to do so. Parliament has entrusted them with responsibility for day-to-day planning control in their areas. Local planning authorities are normally best placed to make decisions relating to their areas and it is right that, in general, they should be free to carry out their duties responsibly, with the minimum of interference.
	There will be occasions, however, when the Secretary of State may consider it necessary to call in a planning application to determine himself instead of leaving it to the local planning authority. His policy is to be very selective about calling in planning applications. He will, in general, only take this step if planning issues of more than local importance are involved and if those issues need to be decided by the Secretary of State rather than at a local level. Each case is, however, considered on its own facts.

MOT Test

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information he has about the number of cars which failed an MOT test in 2000–01.

David Jamieson: The Vehicle Inspectorate collects returns from all 19,000 MOT testing stations on a monthly basis which contain details of the vehicles tested, failures and passes. A 2 per cent. sample of the returns is used as the basis for calculating an annual fail rate. In 2000–01 22,775,000 cars, vans and passenger vehicles with up to 12 seats were tested, with a fail rate of 31.7 per cent. More information about failure rates and defect categories can be found in the Vehicle Inspectorate Effectiveness Report 2000–01, a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The introduction of the computerised MOT database from January 2003 will provide the Inspectorate with the facility to improve the reporting of pass and fail rates.

Bus Lanes

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when his Department will consult on CCTV enforcement of bus lanes; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: Work is in progress on preparing the regulations. Our target is to make the regulations this autumn.

Rough Sleepers

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how those conducting the count, for the latest rough sleeping head count conducted by the RSU, chose the areas of the various cities in which their counts would take place; and if he will publish the guidance issued as to how the count areas were to be chosen.

Stephen Byers: Rough sleeping head counts are conducted by local authorities and voluntary sector agencies and the results are submitted to the DTLR.
	The method used to conduct counts, including deciding which areas should be covered is clearly set out in our guidance, which was first published in 1996. This states that a working group of key local agencies should be formed and that this working group in consultation with other local agencies should:
	"Agree on the boundaries of the area and identify segments of the area where people sleeping rough are likely to be found."
	This is the guidance that was used for the latest rough sleeping head count.

Rough Sleepers

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how it was determined whether someone on the streets during the latest rough sleeping headcount conducted by the Rough Sleepers Unit was a rough sleeper; and if he will publish the guidelines issued to those conducting the count, relating to whom should be included in the count.

Stephen Byers: Rough sleeping headcounts are conducted by local authorities and voluntary sector agencies and the results are submitted to the DTLR.
	The definition of people who should be included in rough sleeper counts is clearly set out in Government guidance, which was first published in 1996. It is:
	"people sleeping, or bedded down, in the open air (such as on the streets, or in doorways, parks or bus shelters); people in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations or 'bashes')".
	This is the guidance that is still used today.

Concessionary Travel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 551W, on concessionary travel schemes, if it is his intention to publish the results of the Department's survey of concessionary travel in England before the Easter recess.

Sally Keeble: The results of this survey are scheduled for publication on 28 March 2002.

Pensions

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the cost of extending Local Government Pension Scheme benefits to the partners of its members;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received regarding the extension of Local Government Pension Scheme benefits to the partners of its members; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: I am considering a proposal from the local authorities employers' organisation and the trade unions to extend the benefits payable under the Local Government Pension Scheme to surviving spouses to include unmarried partners. Representations from scheme members have also been received supporting changes to the scheme. A full assessment of the proposal is being made in the light of the costs identified by the scheme's actuaries and advice provided by the Government Actuary's Department. A response will be sent to the employers' organisation and the trade unions shortly.

Coalfields Regeneration Trust

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust with particular reference to (a) the Cynon Valley and (b) Wales.

Sally Keeble: This is a devolved matter and should be addressed to the National Assembly for Wales.

Congestion Charging (London)

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what powers there are under European legislation for an environmental assessment to be conducted into the effects on London of congestion charging.

John Spellar: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The proposed London congestion charging scheme does not fall within the scope of Directive 85/337/EEC (as amended by Directive 97/11/EC) on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment.

Park and Ride

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many park and ride sites in England have been supported with Government funding in the last five years; how many of these sites are operating; what the average level is of Government financial support per park and ride scheme supported by Government; and how many such schemes have opened and subsequently been discontinued in England in the last five years.

Sally Keeble: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Funding for new park and ride schemes and extensions to existing schemes in England is provided through the annual Local Transport capital settlement and we announced on 13 December 2001 that the 2002–03 settlement provided for a range of small scale transport schemes including up to 50 new or extended park and ride sites. Transport authorities in England reported in Annual Progress Reports on their Local Transport Plans in August 2001 that capital funding had been used or is expected to support 24 new or extended park and ride sites in 2000–01 and 32 such schemes in 2001–02.

A12

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans his Department has to introduce measures to reduce traffic noise on the A12 by Margaretting, Chelmsford; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: In my answer of 9 July 2001, Official Report, column 327W, I said that the precise timing of measures to reduce traffic noise on the A12 between Margaretting and Boreham would be determined in the light of criteria which had then to be announced.
	Those criteria were announced in October 2001. They are:
	That wherever possible the application of quieter surfaces will fit in with normal maintenance needs;
	That priority will be given to those sites where treatment would benefit the greatest number of people;
	That the works will be carried out in such a way as to minimise disruption to the general public and users of the network;
	That priority will be given to roads, opened since June 1988, where actual noise levels have turned out to be significantly higher than predicted at the time of the Public Inquiry.
	In the light of these criteria, the Highways Agency has identified in its programme of future works a major maintenance scheme on the A12 Margaretting Bypass which will include the provision of a quieter surface. Although the Agency has not yet determined a start date for the scheme they currently expect that work will start within the next three to five years.

Affordable Homes

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many new affordable homes were provided in the south-east in 2001, broken down by (a) housing associations, including rent and shared ownership, (b) housing benefit subsidy of privately rented homes, (c) right-to-buy resales, (d) local authorities and (e) sale below market value by private housebuilders; and what was the total number provided.

Sally Keeble: The available estimates are as given in the table.
	
		New provision of affordable homes in the south-east region 2001
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Registered social landlords(6) 7,302 
			 Right-to-buy re-purchases by local authorities(7) 26 
			 Local authority new build for rent 52 
		
	
	(6) RSLs' (formerly referred to as housing associations) data represents new homes for rental, outright or shared ownership (including "off the shelf" purchases of properties built by private developers), and existing property acquisitions for refurbishment (including temporary social housing provision). Completions are recorded when the final tranche payment for the scheme is made.
	(7) Local authority acquisitions of ex-council properties under "Buyback" scheme arrangements.
	Source:
	Housing Corporation returns
	DTLR P1B (quarterly) and P2 (monthly) housing activity returns
	Information about the number of affordable housing units built without any form of public funding, eg by private housebuilders, is not collected centrally.
	The number of private sector householders in the south-east, excluding those renting from RSLs, in receipt of rent allowance as at August 2001 was estimated at 90,000.

Affordable Homes

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the Housing Corporation allocation was for shared ownership in each year since 1997.

Sally Keeble: The funding for shared ownership through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme in each year since 1997–98 to the end of January 2002 was as follows.
	
		Shared ownership funding
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 87.95 
			 1998–99 86.59 
			 1999–2000 51.49 
			 2000–01 70.63 
			 2001–02 (8)41.85 
		
	
	(8) 10 months
	Funding fell in 1999–2000 because (a) the do-it- yourself shared ownership scheme (DIYSO) was replaced by the Homebuy scheme on 1 April 1999 (local authorities may still fund DIYSO through Local Authority Social Housing Grant); and (b) the Approved Development Programme was no longer subject to a national target for the percentage of expenditure allocated to schemes which help people into low cost home ownership: this allows schemes to be selected on the basis of local needs.
	These figures exclude the Government's £250 million Starter Home Initiative which will provide 10,000 homes for key workers over the period 2001–04, mostly through equity loan and shared ownership schemes.

Affordable Homes

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will introduce a definition of affordable housing related solely to rental and shared ownership houses provided by housing associations and local authorities.

Sally Keeble: There are no formal definitions of affordable housing within housing policy and we have no plans to introduce a definition confined to rental and shared ownership homes. We will continue to keep the situation under review.
	For the purposes of securing affordable housing through the planning system affordable housing encompasses low-cost market and subsidised housing whether for rent or shared ownership. Local authorities are expected to define in their local plans what they consider to be affordable in the plan area, in terms of the relationship between local income levels and house prices or rents for different types of households.
	We are looking at how the planning system can deliver more affordable housing, including through the proposals for reforming planning obligations that we announced in December.

Public Bodies

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people from Warrington, North he has appointed to non-departmental public bodies since 1997.

Sally Keeble: As far as we have been able to ascertain, no people who live in Warrington, North have been appointed to DTLR's non-departmental public bodies since 1 May 1997.

River Safety

Chris Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will report on progress in implementing the recommendations of Lord Justice Clarke's inquiry into river safety.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 18 December 2001, Official Report, column 230W. Further updates will be placed in the libraries at about six-monthly intervals and so the next one will be available sometime in the late spring.

Chiltern Line

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what timeframe has been agreed for the investment programme in the Chiltern Line; and what the timeframe was in the original heads of agreement.

David Jamieson: The investment programme in the new Chiltern Railways Franchise Agreement will be staged for implementation throughout the duration of the franchise—as was the case when Heads of Terms were signed.

Rail Strategic Plan

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 795W, ref 36451, for what reason this work was not carried out prior to the finalising of the 10-year plan and the SRA Strategic Plan.

David Jamieson: The contribution of assumed fare levels to the projected increase in rail demand is outlined in Annex A of the Ten-Year Plan Background Analysis. General elasticities in relation to fares are provided in paragraph 3 of this annex.

Rail Passengers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  how many passengers, on average, board trains each day at each station on the (a) LTS Rail Line and (b) First Great Eastern Rail Line;
	(2)  how many passengers, on average, board trains each day at (a) Sudbury, (b) Felixstowe, (c) Harwich Town, (d) Walton on Naze, (e) Clacton, (f) Southminster, (g) Shoeburyness and (h) Braintree.

David Jamieson: I understand this information is available from the appropriate train operating companies.

Rail Industry

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will place in the Library the memorandum submitted to him on the future of the rail industry by Sir Alistair Morton in June 2001.

David Jamieson: The information requested falls under exemption 2 Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Information.

Rail Investment

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the total public and private investment, not including public resource expenditure, allocated (a) in total and (b) for the railways to be spent over the period 2001 to 2011, at (i) today's prices and (ii) outturn prices as at (A) the launch of the 10 year plan in July 2000, (B) 1 April 2001, (C) 2 April 2001, (D) 13 January 2002, (E) 14 January 2002, (F) 22 January 2002, (G) 23 January 2002, (H) 29 January 2002, (I) 7 February 2002 and (J) the present date.

David Jamieson: holding answer 4 March 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to Table A3 of the 10-Year Plan and a revised version of this table that was placed in the House Library on 25 February. These tables provide a breakdown of projected public and private investment from the original 10-Year Plan and reflect the £4.5 billion increase in public sector funding for rail since then.
	No similar detailed breakdowns were undertaken at the particular dates mentioned. The investment profiles can be translated into today's prices by applying standard HM Treasury inflation assumptions.

Railway Industry

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last met officials of the RMT Union to discuss industrial relations in the railway industry.

David Jamieson: Ministers are in regular contact with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union on a number of transport-related issues.

HEALTH

Parliamentary Questions

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the time taken to reply to written questions tabled for answer by his Department.

Alan Milburn: Concerted action has been taken in the Department to reduce the number of outstanding parliamentary questions. The Department is now receiving questions at the rate of around 45 a day, almost double the rate of the last session. Last week the Department responded to over 500 questions. There are currently 411 outstanding questions due for reply before 14 February 2002. I aim to have provided right hon. and hon. Members with answers to those outstanding questions by 12 March 2002.
	Several Members have raised concerns about unanswered questions and the length of time it has taken for questions to be answered. Last week in the course of dealing with these inquiries evidence came to light of what appears to be systematic falsification in recording the handling of parliamentary questions in the Department's parliamentary section. This included recording questions as having been answered when no such reply had been given to the Member or to the Official Report. Some of these questions date back to the beginning of this session.
	The falsification that took place meant that both officials and Ministers were wrongly led to believe that Members had received replies to their questions when they had not. A full investigation is now under way to ensure that all the facts are known and that the necessary remedial action is taken. An official from the Department's parliamentary section has been suspended and is now the subject of a disciplinary investigation. The decision to suspend the official was taken by the line manager of the individual concerned in accordance with standard departmental disciplinary procedures.
	Ministers and officials within the Department are fully committed to supporting the system of accountability to Parliament which underpins our democracy. We aim to provide timely and accurate responses to parliamentary questions. There has been a serious failure in honouring that commitment which I deeply regret. All possible steps will now be taken to deal with the backlog of outstanding parliamentary questions. As soon as I am able I will also report to Parliament on the outcome of the investigation that is now under way.

Asbestos

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds the Health and Safety Executive is proposing to tighten regulations governing the presence of white asbestos in buildings.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	Research by Professor Peto and Health and Safety Executive epidemiologists, published in The Lancet on 4 March 1995 confirmed that building and maintenance workers are the largest group at risk of exposure to asbestos. At least a quarter of the 3,000 people now dying from asbestos related diseases have at some time worked in these trades. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations are therefore being tightened to ensure workers know where asbestos is in premises and can take appropriate precautions. A copy of the research paper is available in the Libraries of the House.

Asbestos

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the evidence that white asbestos is dangerous to human health.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The evidence that white asbestos represents a risk to human health has been published. The evidence has been recently reviewed by a WHO task force and published in the International Programme on Chemical Safety's Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) Series. A recent review of the studies providing the basis for quantification that confirmed the risk from chrysotile is: "The Quantitative risks of mesothelioma and lung cancer in relation to asbestos exposure" by Hodgson and Darnton. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Asbestos

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the cost to local authorities of the proposed new Health and Safety Executive regulations on asbestos.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Health and Safety Executive cannot precisely separate costs to local authorities. Total costs in Government offices, public buildings and state schools are estimated at £440 million over a 50-year period, including costs arising from the provisions implementing the Chemical Agents Directive. The average yearly cost over the first five years the proposals would be in force in these buildings is £47 million. A large proportion of this cost would fall to local authorities.

Asbestos

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the likely cost to business of the proposed new Health and Safety Executive regulations on asbestos.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	Details of the costs of the proposals were given in the Consultation Document published by the Health and Safety Commission, and have since been revised. The total cost to businesses, charities and voluntary organisations of the proposals are currently estimated at £4.2 billion over a 50-year period. This includes a relatively small number of Government buildings open to the public, and also includes the estimated costs of complying with the provisions in the regulations arising from the Chemical Agents Directive. This cost is equivalent to £2.9 billion once costs are discounted to present values following Government costing conventions. The average yearly cost over the first six years the proposals would be in force is £460 million.

Asbestos

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if white asbestos, or chrysotile, is chemically distinguishable from talcum powder.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply
	White asbestos is chemically similar to talc, but it is the fibrous nature of asbestos, not its chemical composition, that makes it a risk to human health. Talc is not fibrous.

Asbestos

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what threat to human health is posed by chrysotile, or white asbestos.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	White asbestos is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, on behalf of the World Health Organisation, as a category 1 carcinogen hazardous by inhalation. The most recent and comprehensive study carried out on the relative risks of asbestos "The Quantitative Risks of Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer in Relation to Asbestos Exposure" suggests there is a real risk of cancer from white asbestos (1 in 5,000) at levels of exposure realistically experienced by maintenance workers. The quantification of risk at these levels of exposure is however highly uncertain. The same paper implies the arguable range of risk runs from a quarter to seven times the central estimate.

Asbestos

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to pay compensation to workers who can prove exposure to white asbestos.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 1 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has no plans to pay compensation to workers who can prove exposure to white asbestos.

Asthma

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local education authorities in England are implementing an asthma policy.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department does not collect this data. While there is no legal requirement for local education authorities and schools to have specific medical support policies, the Department promotes the drawing up of school policies in its good practice guide "Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs" (produced jointly with the Department of Health), which includes a section on asthma.

LORD CHANCELLOR

DPP

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many and in what proportion of cases in the last year where police have issued charges the DPP decided to discontinue prosecution.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	In the period between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2001 the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions received files in respect of 1,832 persons who had already been charged by police at the point of submission of the file. Current information indicates that no prosecution was directed of 200 such persons (10.92 per cent.).

RUC Sergeant A

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what reasons have been given by the DPP for NI for not prosecuting RUC Sergeant A for the killing of Pearce Jordan in 1992.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 11 February 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	No reasons, other than in general terms, have been given to date. Inquest proceedings in relation to the death of Pearce Jordan are currently live. Once the proceedings have been completed, the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland will give further consideration to whether any prosecution should follow. Following the decision of the ECHR in the case of Jordan v. UK the Director has reviewed his policy on the giving of reasons. I would refer my hon. Friend to a written reply the Attorney-General gave on 1 March 2002, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA 259 which I reproduce here:
	"The Government are considering a package of measures which, taken together, should meet the concerns expressed by the European Court of Human Rights in its judgments in a series of cases from Northern Ireland, including that of Jordan v The United Kingdom.
	In furtherance of that objective, I have had a number of discussions with the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland (the Director) regarding the giving of reasons when a decision is reached not to initiate or continue a prosecution. We have agreed that the following statement should issue.
	"The policy of the Director in the matter of providing reasons for decisions not to initiate or continue prosecutions, is to refrain from giving reasons other than in the most general terms. The Director recognises that the propriety of applying the general practice must be examined and reviewed in every case where a request for the provision of detailed reasons is made. This policy is based on a series of public interest considerations. It also reflects the duties owed by the Director to a range of parties as a public authority under section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. The lawfulness of the policy was upheld by the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal in Re Adams Application for Judicial Review (2001) NI 1.
	The Director, in consultation with the Attorney General, has reviewed his policy in the light of the judgments delivered by the European Court of Human Rights on the 4 May 2001 in a number of Northern Ireland cases, including the case of Jordan v The United Kingdom. Having done so, the Director recognises that there may be cases in the future, which he would expect to be exceptional in nature, where an expectation will arise that a reasonable explanation will be given for not prosecuting where death is, or may have been, occasioned by the conduct of agents of the State. Subject to compelling grounds for not giving reasons, including his duties under the Human Rights Act 1998, the Director accepts that in such cases it will be in the public interest to reassure a concerned public, including the families of victims, that the rule of law has been respected by the provision of a reasonable explanation. The Director will reach his decision as to the provision of reasons, and their extent, having weighed the applicability of public interest considerations material to the particular facts and circumstances of each individual case."

Marriage Value Taper

Mark Field: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what her policy is on setting a marriage value taper in respect of the provisions of the Commonhold and Leasehold Bill.

Sally Keeble: I have been asked to reply.
	It is our view that the current valuation basis provides its own taper. The price payable for enfranchisement increases progressively as leases get shorter. We do not accept there is a case for a further arbitrary apportionment of the marriage value which would effectively reduce the price payable by leaseholders.

Pre-trial Publicity

Joan Humble: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he will publish a consultation paper on proposals to amend the law in relation to payments to witnesses and pre-trial publicity.

Michael Wills: The Lord Chancellor today issued a consultation paper seeking views on the detail of the legislation the Government intend to introduce to outlaw payments to witnesses. The legislation proposed is that it should be a criminal offence to make, or agree to make, or to receive, a payment to a witness or potential witness in criminal proceedings for his or her story with a view to publication.
	Also, following the abandonment of the first trial of R v. Woodgate and others the Government intend to amend s.19 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 to empower the court to order a third party to pay costs incurred as a result of his or her unnecessary or improper act. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Information Commissioners

Brian Cotter: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if his Department will place a notice on its website warning businesses about fraudulent organisations that claim to have statutory powers to maintain the register of data controllers as part of the Information Commissioner's public information campaign.

Michael Wills: Details of the Information Commissioner's public information campaign were given in my reply to the hon. Member for Batley and Spen (Mr. Wood) of 5 February 2002, Official Report, columns 906–07W. The Commissioner's website at www.dataprotection.gov.uk provides further information. In the interests of assisting the Commissioner's campaign, I am happy to provide a link to her website from the Lord Chancellor's Department website at www.lcd.gov.uk. The necessary arrangements are being put in hand.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many members of her staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: All staff in the Lord Chancellor's Department are entitled to one day's paid leave to work as a volunteer.
	Also, provided the nature of any service undertaken is compatible with the work of the employee concerned, the Department provides higher allocations of special leave with pay, within specified limits, for a wide range of voluntary public service, such as acting as a school governor, sitting on a health boards, parish council work etc.
	Although we do not keep a central register of staff who participate in voluntary work, we are aware that a large number of staff have taken advantage of these arrangements.

Director of Public Prosecutions

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the annual budget of the DPP is in Northern Ireland; and what his estimate of the additional sum required to finance proposals contained in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill is.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	In the current financial year (2001–02)—the budget of the DPP in Northern Ireland is £12,023,000 and the additional sum required to finance proposals contained in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill is £1,267,000.

Resident Magistrates

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many resident magistrates serve in Northern Ireland; what the average number of sitting days is at which each magistrate presides; what mileage cost allowance is available for travel expenses for resident magistrates; and what was the cost of travel expenses paid over the last convenient 12 month period to resident magistrates.

Rosie Winterton: There are 19 resident magistrates in Northern Ireland. In 2001, the average number of sitting days for each resident magistrate was 191. Resident magistrates are paid mileage allowances in accordance with the rates that are applicable in the Northern Ireland Court Service. The rates paid are determined by the engine capacity of cars. There are four bands that range from 28p per mile for the smallest engine capacity to 53p per mile for the largest. After 4,000 miles are claimed, the rates reduce to a range from 17p per mile to 36p per mile. Subsistence allowances are also payable in accordance with the rates that are applicable in the Northern Ireland Court Service—£4.25 per day for more than five hours and £9.30 per day for more than 10 hours. Travel expenses (including subsistence) paid to resident magistrates in 2001 totalled £88,918.34.

Legal Aid

Harry Cohen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many family applications have been made for legal aid for representation at an inquest since 1997; and how many have been granted.

Rosie Winterton: Public funding is not generally available for representation at inquests. However, under section 6(8)(b) of the Access to Justice Act 1999, the Lord Chancellor has the power to authorise the Legal Services Commission to grant funding for representation at inquests in exceptional cases.
	Since April 2000, 182 applications for exceptional funding for representation at inquests have been received and 90 granted. The vast majority of those granted were for representation for family members, although there may be a very few cases where non-family members have been granted funding.
	Before April 2000, the Lord Chancellor exercised a discretionary power under Part 2 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 to grant funding for representation at a very small number of inquests.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Correspondence

Nigel Evans: To ask the President of the Council what the average response time was for responding to departmental correspondence; what percentage of letters took longer than one month for a response; and what percentage took longer than three months for a response in each of the last five years.

Robin Cook: The service standard deadline 1 in my department for replying to correspondence from hon. Members is 15 working days.
	Information for the period 1999 and 2000 could not be provided in the form requested. However, set against this deadline, the information is as follows: 2
	
		
			  1999 2000 
		
		
			 Number of letters received 151 271 
			 Percentage of replies within target 81 94 
		
	
	The average response time for 2001 was 11 days. Of the total number of correspondence received, 3 per cent. took longer than one month and 0 per cent. longer than three months.
	Data for 1997 and 1998 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	1 Information on the performance of other Government Departments is currently available on the Cabinet Office website http:// www.servicefirst.gov.uk/2000/introduc/six.htm.
	2 Written reply from the Minister for the Cabinet Office, 6 April 2001, Official Report, column 325W.

TREASURY

Pesticides

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the success of the voluntary approach to the regulation of pesticides against the criteria set by his Department;
	(2)  which organisations he is consulting in the course of his review of the self-regulation arrangements for pesticides;
	(3)  if he has received the progress reports from the independent steering group on the voluntary pesticides partnership approach; and if he will publish those reports;
	(4)  if it is his policy that his assessment of the success of the voluntary approach to pesticides control should take account of the costs of clearing up pollution currently borne by water companies.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The independent steering group overseeing the voluntary package of measures to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides is made up of signatories to the package, an equivalent number of environmental organisations and an independent chairperson. The steering group reports to DEFRA. Publication of its reports is a matter for DEFRA.
	Reports from the independent steering group will help the Government's assessment of the success of the package. The assessment of whether the package is delivering environmental benefits over and beyond those that would result from a pesticides tax will consider the uptake of the measures in the package, their coverage, effectiveness and cost. It will therefore take account of the impact of the measures on pollution that has to be cleaned up by water companies.

Climate Change Levy

Richard Page: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment is taking place to evaluate the effect of the climate change levy; and if he will place the relevant documentation in the Library.

Paul Boateng: The climate change levy is designed to promote greater energy efficiency. Part of the levy revenue is being recycled to provide enhanced advice on energy efficiency to business and to provide support for energy efficiency investments. As the levy package has only been operational since April 2001, it is too early for an assessment to be made of its impact.

Pensioners

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice has been tendered by his Department to British contributors (a) already resident abroad and (b) about to take up residence abroad as to the continuing payment of Class 3 contributions in order to qualify for retirement pension.

Ruth Kelly: Customers should contact Inland Revenue National Insurance Contributions Office International Services on their helpline (telephone number 0191 225 4811) or visit the Inland Revenue website for information. Leaflet NI 38 "Social Security Abroad" sets out the conditions for the payment of voluntary contributions and includes an application form, CF83. There are separate information leaflets covering the EU Social Security Regulations and separate leaflets (one for each country) covering those countries with which the UK have entered into a bilateral social security agreement. International Services can give advice on the appropriate leaflet depending on the country.

Progressive Beer Duty

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about giving brewers producing up to 200,000 hl a reduction in their standard duty rate in respect of progressive beer duty.

Paul Boateng: Treasury Ministers and Customs and Excise have received numerous representations from the brewing industry, trade bodies and members of the public in relation to the introduction of progressive beer duty.

Progressive Beer Duty

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what considerations will inform his decision regarding volume criteria when introducing a system of progressive beer duty; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: The Government have announced that they are minded to introduce a reduced rate of duty on the beer produced by small breweries. The Chancellor will take into consideration a wide range of factors when making a decision, including representations from the industry. A decision will be announced in Budget 2002.

Smuggling

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what HM Customs and Excise procedure is with regard to the policy of seizing private vehicles at UK ports for offences relating to the smuggling of tobacco and alcohol; and what the levels are of fees that must be paid.

Paul Boateng: When vehicles are detected being used for smuggling tobacco and alcohol, they are currently seized and are not usually restored. Where vehicles are restored, it is for a sum equal to the revenue the smuggler has attempted to evade.

Seminars

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, (ref 37050), how many seminars were conducted; what the title and date of each seminar was and which firms sponsored each one; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Three seminars were held following publication of the guidance "Selling Government Services into Wider Markets". The titles, dates and companies which were involved in the organisation of each event are given in the table.
	
		
			 Title Date Supporting Company 
		
		
			 Selling Services into Wider Markets 26 October 1998 Ernst and Young 
			
			 Joint Ventures Workshop 20 November 1998 PricewaterhouseCoopers 
			
			 Creating Knowledge: Creating Wealth 14 April 1999 Arthur Andersen

Excise Duties (Tobacco and Alcohol)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government have formally responded to the formal request for information received from the European Commission relating to excise duties on tobacco and alcohol; and if he will place a copy of this response in the Library.

Paul Boateng: The Government replied to the formal request for information from the European Commission relating to excise duties on tobacco and alcohol on 18 December 2001.
	Due to the confidentiality of the response it is not possible to place a copy of the Government response in the Library. Documents relating to infraction proceedings, of which the letter of formal notice is the first stage, remain confidential unless and until the proceedings reach the European Court of Justice. This is covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information (Part II, Section 1 (c)) which exempts from disclosure
	"information received in confidence from foreign Governments, foreign courts or international organisations".

Conscience Money

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much conscience money was received by the Exchequer in each financial year since 1979.

Andrew Smith: No central records are kept of conscience money payments to Government Departments. Since 1979 the annual amounts received by the Treasury itself have never exceeded £3,000, and the largest single payment has been £2,500 (in 1979).

Spending Reviews

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the comparability percentages for each Government Department, used in each spending review from 1979.

Andrew Smith: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Details of comparability factors were published for the first time by the Treasury in the first Statement of Funding Policy in March 1999. This was updated in July 2000 reflecting the 2000 spending review. Information on the changing composition of the blocks since 1978 was published in the report of the Treasury Committee on the Barnett formula published in December 1997.

Devolved Administrations

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the mathematical formula he uses to decide net change in spending for devolved Administrations.

Andrew Smith: The formula was published by the Treasury in the Statement of Funding Policy in July 2000.

Devolved Administrations

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish comparability percentages used when deciding the net change to all three devolved Administrations for (a) each Government Department and (b) each of the last spending reviews.

Andrew Smith: The departmental comparability factors for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland used in the 2000 spending review were published in the Statement of Funding Policy in July 2000, and in the March 1999 Statement of Funding Policy for the 1998 spending review.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Central records are not kept in the form requested. The Treasury allows staff to take up to 10 days paid special leave in any 12 month period, for public service such as membership of a committee of a local education or health authority or service as a school governor. In addition all staff are allowed one day's special (i.e. extra) leave to undertake voluntary work in a private capacity. Special leave may also be granted in other circumstances.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Union Duties

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in each of the last four years.

Ben Bradshaw: All FCO staff are entitled to paid leave to undertake union duties. About 50 members of staff are members of union or branch committees. Information on the number of days taken is not held centrally and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. In the British Council the total cost for union activities is approximately £23,000 per year in each of the last four years.

Pakistan

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) explanation he has requested and (b) assessment he has made of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh being held in custody for a week by Pakistan Security Services (ISI) before the civilian authorities were notified of his arrest; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The British High Commission in Islamabad and the Deputy High Commission in Karachi asked for information on the detention of Mr. Sheikh on 13 February, but did not specifically ask about the delay in notifying the civil authorities. We are investigating the case further. If Mr. Sheikh is a dual UK/Pakistani national, Pakistani authorities are not obliged to give us consular access or information.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response has been received to the request to Florida State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle that she not proceed to another death sentence for Mr. Krishna Maharaj.

Ben Bradshaw: We have made clear to the Florida state authorities our opposition to the death penalty and have asked on various occasions that they do not proceed to another death sentence for Mr. Krishna Maharaj. The Florida authorities have to date responded that, given the circumstances of the murder, they are obliged to seek the death sentence. We will continue to do all we properly can on Mr. Maharaj's behalf.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports the Prime Minister's initiative on volunteering and staff are entitled to take at least one day's special paid leave every year to engage in voluntary or community activities.
	FCO staff are periodically reminded of this entitlement through, for example, staff newsletters. The granting of specific days is at line managers' discretion, and no central records are kept.

Nepal

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of links between the Nepalese Maoist insurgents, and other non-Maoist terrorist organisations outside that country.

Ben Bradshaw: We have no credible evidence of links between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and non-Maoist terrorist organisations outside of Nepal. This is an issue which we watch very closely, particularly since the events of 11 September 2001.

Nepal

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the British Government have given to the Nepalese peace process since July 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: Our Ambassador in Kathmandu was in regular contact with the Nepalese Prime Minister and other senior figures during the period when the Nepalese Government and the Maoists in Nepal were engaged in peace talks. Unfortunately the peace talks were ended abruptly in November 2001 by the Maoists who returned to violence to further their aims. Our Ambassador remains in close contact with the Nepalese Government. I made it clear to the Nepalese Prime Minister and others during my recent visit to Kathmandu that the UK stands ready to help in the peace process if asked to do so.

Nepal

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the visits to Nepal made by his Department's Ministers, by date, since 1 January 1999; and what plans Ministers have to make further visits.

Ben Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House visited Nepal on 20–21 April 2000 as Foreign Secretary. I visited Nepal from 19–20 February 2002. There are currently no further plans for Ministers from this Department to visit Nepal. However, we will keep under review, in conjunction with the other two Government Departments with particular interest in Nepal, the MOD and DFID. In this context my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for International Development and for Defence visited Nepal in November 1998 and December 2001 respectively.

Nepal

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Nepal regarding the recent unrest and Maoist violence in that country.

Ben Bradshaw: During my visit to Nepal on 19 and 20 February I held discussions with the King of Nepal, the Nepalese Prime Minister and the Nepalese Assistant Foreign Minister. In all of these meetings I discussed the current security situation in Nepal and condemned the recent barbaric attacks by the Maoists on the Nepalese security forces, politicians and general public.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the interim Afghan administration's ability to apprehend drug traffickers.

Denis MacShane: The Interim Administration, with support from the International Community, is developing its law enforcement capabilities. We are working with the Interim Administration to ensure the development of a significantly enhanced capacity to apprehend drug traffickers and other criminals.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what targets have been set for the reduction of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan; and if these targets have been met.

Denis MacShane: It is our long-term aim to have effective and sustainable drugs law enforcement in Afghanistan. An important element of the international community's approach will be measures designed to break the dependence on poppy cultivation of many within Afghanistan. In order for these measures to be effective the Interim Administration will need to set appropriate targets.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been towards creating alternative sources of credit for poor Afghan farmers who rely on drug traffickers as their main source of credit.

Denis MacShane: International assistance to Afghanistan has in the first phase focused on humanitarian relief. In the reconstruction and developmental phase the international community, including the UK, will consider structural issues such as the provision of legitimate rural credits.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what acreage of the opium poppy crop has been destroyed as part of the Bonn conference agreement.

Denis MacShane: The Bonn conference agreement was a political agreement intended to lead to a stable government in Afghanistan after a transitional period. In the agreement the international community and regional organisations were urged to co-operate with the Interim Administration to combat international terrorism, cultivation and trafficking of illicit drugs and provide Afghan farmers with financial, material and technical resources for alternative crop production. The Interim Administration has already introduced a ban on drugs production, processing and trafficking but it is too early to assess the impact on areas already under poppy cultivation.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the role of regional leaders, who operate outside the control of the Afghan Interim Administration, in the Afghan opium poppy production and drug trafficking.

Denis MacShane: There was no effective governance in Afghanistan for many years. As a consequence authority was traditionally exercised primarily at the regional level. As a result of the Bonn Process, on 22 December 2001, the Afghan Interim Administration took office as the country's first national Government for many years. In order to establish sustainable drugs law enforcement throughout Afghanistan it will be important for regional leaders to co-operate constructively with national counter- narcotics institutions established by the Afghan Interim Administration.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the number of drug traffickers apprehended by the interim Afghan administration.

Denis MacShane: The Interim Administration has been in place for just over two months. With support from the International Community it is developing its law enforcement capabilities. Over time, the Interim Administration is expected to develop a significantly enhanced capacity to apprehend drug traffickers and other criminals.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Afghan poppy farmers have participated in crop substitution projects since the fall of the Taliban.

Denis MacShane: In the short period since the Taliban fell, the international community has co-ordinated a comprehensive programme of humanitarian and development assistance for Afghanistan, within which an anti-narcotics strategy will be an integral part. The provision of alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers currently dependent on poppy cultivation to sustain themselves and their families will be an important element of the international community's long-term programme of assistance for Afghanistan. We are working closely with the relevant UN agencies to ensure that this assistance is effective and sustainable.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the (a) EU and (b) UN since the demise of the Taliban on the destruction of (i) heroin stockpiles and (ii) the current opium poppy crop.

Denis MacShane: Tackling drugs in Afghanistan is an area of key concern to the international community, including the UK. We are consulting closely with partners in the EU and UN on how to address this issue.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the level of heroin stockpiles in Afghanistan.

Denis MacShane: There is evidence that stockpiles exist. There are no reliable figures as to their exact size.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the international community is providing to the authorities in Herat in their efforts to disrupt the drugs trade.

Denis MacShane: Herat Province accounts for a very small proportion of Afghan opium cultivation (0.05 per cent. in 2000). The International Community is committed to supporting the Interim Administration's drug control efforts in all parts of Afghanistan. This includes the creation of alternative legal livelihood, the reconstruction of infrastructure, the creation of effective law enforcement institutions and the promotion of good governance.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what crop substitution incentives the international community has in place to encourage Afghan farmers to destroy their current poppy crop.

Denis MacShane: Sustainable drug control in Afghanistan can only be achieved by using a variety of different measures including the creation of alternative legal livelihoods (including crop substitution), the reconstruction of infrastructure, effective law enforcement and good governance. Reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan are addressing these issues and the Interim Administration, supported by the international community, is working to achieve effective drug control.

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the progress towards the destruction of heroin stockpiles in Afghanistan.

Denis MacShane: The Afghan Interim Administration is developing its law enforcement capacity to act, inter alia, against the illegal drugs trade. The Interim Administration has already declared a ban on drugs production, processing and trafficking which we have publicly welcomed. The international community, including the UK, is exploring how best to help the Afghans implement this ban and carry out effective and sustainable law enforcement including against the stockpiling of drugs.

Montagnard Refugees

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his European counterparts regarding the persecution of Christians, with particular reference to the Montagnard refugees, in the Mondolkiri province of Cambodia;
	(2)  if he will make a statement regarding the treatment of repatriated Montagnard refugees in Vietnam; and what estimate he has made of the numbers of refugees involved;
	(3)  what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to press the Cambodian and Vietnamese Governments to (a) improve the treatment of the Montagnard refugees in their refugee camp in Mondolkiri province, Cambodia and (b) ensure that these refugees are allowed to freely choose whether to return to Vietnam.

Ben Bradshaw: We have been monitoring the plight of the Vietnamese refugees in Cambodia for several months. Our embassies in Hanoi and Phnom Penh have been in regular contact with the Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments, the local UNHCR representatives, and resident EU partners about this issue. The issue has also been discussed at official level in Brussels. When the Deputy Prime Minister visited Vietnam in December he urged the Secretary General of the Vietnamese Communist Party to co-operate with the UNHCR to ensure that the Vietnamese refugees could return without fear of retribution.
	We are deeply concerned at recent reports that the Vietnamese and Cambodian Governments have failed to abide by the agreement they reached on 21 January with the UNHCR for the voluntary return of the refugees under UNHCR supervision. We are currently consulting with the UNHCR, EU partners and other sympathetic Governments on what action we should take to best safeguard the welfare of these refugees. 15 refugees were repatriated to Vietnam on 19 February, and we believe that there are around 1,070 refugees still remaining in two camps in Cambodia.

British Prisoners (Guantanamo Bay)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is his policy to ensure that British prisoners being held at Camp X-Ray be brought to face trial in the United Kingdom; and what representations to the US Administration he has made on the repatriation of British prisoners being held there.

Jack Straw: holding answer 4 March 2002
	We are in close touch with US Government about the British detainees in Guantanamo Bay and the legal processes to which they might be subject.
	Any prosecution of the detainees in the UK would be a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

British Prisoners (Guantanamo Bay)

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the (a) living and (b) physical conditions of the British detainees in Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer my hon. Friend to my statement in the House on 21 January and to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson) on 4 March 2002, Official Report, columns 69–70W.

Zimbabwe

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to ensure compliance by Zimbabwe with the terms of the Lancaster House agreement in relation to payment of pensions accrued during public service prior to independence and owed to British citizens;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to ensure continued payment by the Zimbabwean authorities of pensions owed to British citizens resident in the UK.

Denis MacShane: The British High Commission in Harare regularly reminds the Zimbabwean authorities of their obligations to pensioners under the terms of the Lancaster House agreement.
	The 1979 Lancaster House agreement stipulated that the Zimbabwe Constitution should contain provisions entitling public servants to state pensions, and that pension benefits should continue to be paid to former public employees no longer resident in Zimbabwe. The agreement did not contain any undertaking by the British Government to assume responsibility for the payment of pensions to those eligible, should the Zimbabwean authorities fail to maintain payments.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Government Building Procurement

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives for excellence in design she is proposing for Government building procurement.

Andrew Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office of Government Commerce is supporting the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Construction Industry Council to develop a set of key performance indicators for design which can be applied across government building procurement.
	The annual Prime Minister's Award for Better Public Building rewards excellence in Government building and construction procurement, including design excellence. The first award was made last year.
	Procurement decisions must be based on value for money. Value for money is the optimum combination of whole-life cost and quality to meet the user's requirement. Attention to design excellence is a critical element of this.

Government Building Procurement

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives for sustainability she is proposing for Government building procurement.

Andrew Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	In June 2000, Government launched the Achieving Sustainability in Construction Procurement Action Plan setting targets for the implementation of a wide range of practices in government construction procurement.

Market Research

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if she will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each.

Elliot Morley: The Department has only been in existence since June 2001, so does not have such historical information. Producing figures for the current year to the level of detail required would involve disproportionate cost.

Secondments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in her Department have been seconded to jobs in the (a) private and (b) public sector in each of the last four years.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 7 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1129–30W.

GM Maize

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further information has been obtained from the European Commission following the suspension of the public hearings on Aventis T25 genetically modified maize; what evidence and clarification has been obtained from the French competent authorities; if she will (a) make this information publicly available and (b) place it in the Library; and when the hearings will be reconvened.

Michael Meacher: The European Commission has not responded substantively to letters from DEFRA Ministers and officials on the French maize variety testing system. However, the Commission has proposed amendments to Directive 72/180/EEC determining the minimum characteristics and conditions for examining the distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) of maize and some other species. These amendments, which bring the Directive into line with current best scientific practice, came into force on 14 February 2002 for implementation in member states no later than 31 March 2002.
	The French testing authorities carried out a further year of official tests on the genetically modified maize variety Chardon LL in 2001 and provided a test report to the UK authorities in November 2001 based on the required two years of official DUS tests. The French authorities have confirmed that the tests were conducted according to the new Directive requirements. A copy of the French DUS report on Chardon LL will be placed in the Library.
	Ministers have agreed in principle that if all of the legal and technical requirements have been met, the Chardon hearing may resume in spring 2002. The parties to the hearing will be informed when a decision has been taken.

Recycling (Refrigerators and Freezers)

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications there have been for recycling plants for refrigerators and freezers in the west midlands region; and when she expects them to be operational.

Michael Meacher: There have been no applications submitted for waste management licences for the treatment of refrigerators in the west midlands region. However Aqua Force Special Waste are considering a plant at Wolverhampton.

Fishing Industry

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) EU countries and (b) Norway to protect the future of low-impact fishing methods throughout the fishing nations.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 February 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 244W.

Fishing Industry

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the requirements of the Sea Fisheries Committee in relation to (a) their regulatory framework and (b) their management budget and regime.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 February 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 21 December 2001, Official Report, column 268W and 5 December 2001, Official Report, column 399W, and to the hon. Member for Congleton (Mrs. Winterton) on 25 January 2002, Official Report, column 1162W.

Fishing Industry

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in EU member states on the impact of (a) minimum mesh sizes and (b) minimum landing sizes on hake stocks in (i) area VII and (ii) area VIII.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 February 2002
	Following discussions in which the UK and other EU member states working in ICES Area VII or VIII took part the Commission issued an emergency Regulation on 14 June 2001. This Regulation which expires at the end of February has the effect of increasing the towed gear mesh size from 70mm to 100mm in Area VIII and from 80mm to 100mm in Area VII. Minimum landing size for hake was not changed.
	Following discussions with the member states last month the life of these rules is to be extended. It will be some time before their long term benefits can be assessed.

Fishing Industry

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) the EU member states and (b) Norway to secure a long term cod recovery programme.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 February 2002
	As a result of very difficult negotiations between the European Commission, member states and Norway an agreement was reached in June 2001 about stage two of the North sea cod recovery programme. This agreement deals with improved technical conservation measures and came into operation in the North sea on 1 January 2002. Currently, the Council of Ministers is discussing a new proposal from the Commission for a multi-annual recovery programme for cod and hake stocks.

Fishing Industry

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress she has made in securing a plan for the long-term sustainability of the North sea cod industry beyond spring 2003.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 11 February 2002
	At the Fisheries Council in December 2001 the Commission presented a proposal for a Council Regulation establishing measures for the recovery of fish stocks threatened with collapse. This provides for a multi-annual recovery plan for cod and hake stocks. Discussions are continuing.

Fishing Industry

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether the Government's fishing decommissioning scheme will be funded through budgets solely within the gift of her Department;
	(2)  whether the moneys allocated through the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Objective 1 Programme to support her Department's commitment to a £6 million decommissioning scheme will be restored.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 February 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 653W.

Foot and Mouth

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many appeals have been (a) heard and (b) upheld against (i) livestock culls and (ii) contiguous culls since 20 February 2001.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	We are aware of 131 cases where animal owners challenged decisions to slaughter livestock, of which 105 were appealing against contiguous culls. Of the 131 cases, 29 were upheld, 28 of which were appeals against contiguous culls. We are currently seeking data from DEFRA's offices so that a definitive list of all appeals against livestock culls can be compiled.
	Four of the 131 appeals were heard in court, of which three were against contiguous culls. Two of the four were upheld; one was an appeal against a dangerous contact cull and the other was against a contiguous cull. The successful appeal against a contiguous cull subsequently became an infected premise.

Foot and Mouth

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a request was made to Northumberland county council on behalf of her Department to close the road to the Hemscott Hill site during (a) the burning of carcases on that site and (b) the removal of ash from the site.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Yes, a request was made by the Department to Northumberland county council to close a section of road at Hemscott Hill during (a) the burning of carcases and (b) the removal of ash from Hemscott Hill burning site.

Foot and Mouth

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the criteria for a confirmation of foot and mouth disease; and whether the criteria for identifying an infected premises have changed since the last case in the UK.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 1 March 2002
	During last year's outbreak, diagnosis of foot and mouth disease (FMD) was normally confirmed by the National Disease Control Centre on the basis of clinical observations of a veterinary inspector on the spot. Some cases were confirmed on the basis of laboratory tests which confirmed the presence of FMD antibodies or virus. It is nearly five months since the last outbreak of foot and mouth and confirmation of any future case would need to be based on laboratory tests that confirm the presence of the virus.

Foot and Mouth

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the monitoring procedure to assess foot and mouth status in farm animals; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	I am satisfied that we have effective arrangements for monitoring the presence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the national flock and herd. These are as follows:
	(i) Any person who suspects that an animal in his possession or care may be affected by FMD is legally obliged to notify my Department.
	(ii) Ante and post mortem inspections are conducted on livestock at slaughterhouses by official veterinary surgeons working on behalf of the Meat Hygiene Service.
	(iii) Our extensive programme of serological testing of sheep flocks was an important part of the process of satisfying the Office International des Epizooties and the Standing Veterinary Committee of the EU the Great Britain is free of FMD. Nearly three million blood samples, from over 32,183 farms, have been tested. This includes samples taken from sentinel animals prior to the re-stocking of premises on which livestock have been slaughtered during the outbreak and from animals prior to movement under licence.
	(iv) Official veterinary surgeons and local authority inspectors are present at markets and carry out farm visits as part of their routine duties.
	(v) As part of the controlled restocking process, animals are examined regularly during a four week period of 'sentinel' restocking. In addition, sheep and goats on restocking premises are subject to blood testing after 28 days before restrictions are removed.
	Although it is now over five months since the last outbreak, the FMD investigation at a farm near Hawnby, North Yorkshire last week, underlines the importance of maintaining our guard, and shows that the system of monitoring for FMD during controlled restocking is vitally important. Farmers and vets should remain vigilant and all those who have contact with livestock must maintain the highest standards of bio-security.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been paid in compensation to councils in the UK in respect of damage to roads and infrastructure during the foot and mouth disease outbreak; and if she will estimate the sums still to be agreed and paid.

Elliot Morley: No compensation has been paid in respect of damage to roads and infrastructure. The Department is considering claims or approaches from a small number of councils. I have no estimate of the total sum involved.

Foot and Mouth

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most recent assessment was of the contribution of wild brown rats to the spread of foot and mouth; and what the outcome was.

Elliot Morley: Rats are not susceptible to foot and mouth disease but are theoretically capable of spreading the disease mechanically. For this reason an intensive programme of rodent control is carried out on infected premises. We have no record of any case of FMD being attributable to rats.

Common Agricultural Policy

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) timetable and (b) practical requirements of delivering CAP payments to British farmers in euros.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 February 2002
	The Government are committed to providing farmers with the option of receiving grant and subsidy payments in euro at the earliest practical opportunity.
	To operate a manual system, even to cope with modest demand, would be inefficient. IT systems are therefore being developed in the Rural Payments Agency and in the devolved Administrations to deliver such a service. The work has to be dovetailed with other developments and is therefore not expected to be complete before 2004.
	Once a system for direct payments in euro is in place, it is likely that farmers would be asked to commit three months in advance and to sign up for a minimum of a year.

Common Agricultural Policy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at which European Council meeting the decision was taken to replace the ECU as the common currency for the Common Agricultural Policy with the euro; which UK Ministers attended; what reasons underlay the decision; and what assessment she has made of the financial consequences of the EU payment to UK agriculture.

Elliot Morley: On 9 June 1997 the UK Parliament lifted its long-standing scrutiny reserve on the regulations under article 235 (now article 308) of the treaty providing the legal basis for the introduction and use of the euro. This allowed the text to be adopted formally by the Council in Luxembourg on 17 June. My right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Member for Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh (Dr. Strang) represented the UK. These provisions applied to all transactions involving the ECU, including those relating to the Common Agricultural Policy. The introduction of the euro was in accordance with the procedure and timetable set out in the treaty. It is not possible to assess the financial consequences to UK agriculture of the replacement of the ECU with the euro, because we cannot tell how the currencies from which the value of the ECU was calculated would have fluctuated had the euro not been introduced.

Common Agricultural Policy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much of the CAP underspend related to arable farming in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much of the CAP underspend has been given back to the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what representations she has made to the EU about the CAP underspend; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Expenditure on the Common Agricultural Policy is made in accordance with the EU regulations. Actual CAP expenditure may be higher or lower than forecast at the beginning of each budgetary year, due to the market situation, exchange rate fluctuations, or exceptional items. Surplus from one year's EC Budget is returned to member states in the following year's Budget by means of a reduction of the amount to be financed from own resources. This has the effect of reducing the amount each member state is required to pay from GNP-based resource. Moneys returned in this way are not broken down by category and information is not therefore available for specific items of expenditure. So we have made no representations on this matter.

Civil Servants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new entrants to the civil service were employed in her Department in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 and over.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 February 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley, the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr. Leslie) on 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 880W.

Milk

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with other EU countries concerning monopolies with respect to milk marketing; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with other member states about monopolies with respect to milk marketing.

Milk

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the European Commission on the proposed milk quota allocation for applicant EU member states; and what assessment she has made of the impact on the UK dairy industry of the quota allocations proposed under the EU formula for new member states.

Elliot Morley: The UK favours the abolition of milk quotas in advance of enlargement. If, however, this does not prove to be possible we believe the approach taken in the European Commission's paper on milk quota allocation for acceding countries to be a sound one. It follows previous practice, when quotas were first introduced in 1984, and in other EU enlargement processes, whereby quota is fixed on the basis of historical production during a set reference period, in this case the average for the years 1997–99. As such, there should be no impact on the UK dairy sector. We have made it clear to the Commission that we are looking for an outcome which is both fair and does not create new obstacles for CAP reform.

Lessons Learned Inquiry

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what transport was arranged for DEFRA official Mr. Tim Render to return home after the public hearing in Okehampton on 23 January of the Lessons Learned inquiry.

Elliot Morley: Mr. Tim Render (Director, Food, Farming and Rural Development in the Government Office, South West) accompanied the Lessons Learned inquiry for part of its visit to the South West. Mr. Render made his own travel arrangements but, after the public meeting in Okehampton, asked for a lift on the inquiry mini-bus to Gloucestershire, in preparation for the continuation of the visit the following day, which was granted.

Lessons Learned Inquiry

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what transport was arranged for the chairman of the Lessons Learned inquiry to return home after its public hearing in Okehampton on 23 January.

Elliot Morley: I understand the Inquiry Secretariat hired a mini-bus for Dr. Anderson's visit to the South West. He left the public meeting at Okehampton by this mini-bus to continue his visit in Gloucestershire the following day.

Dolphins

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dolphins have been drowned through being caught in fishing nets in each of the last three years in the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Information on the full extent of dolphin casualties caused by fishing is not available.
	Sample surveys of the incidental capture of cetaceans have demonstrated that there is a significant bycatch problem in the bass fishery off South West England which is why we are urgently conducting trials of mitigation measures to reduce bycatch in this fishery.
	In my recent letter to Commissioner Fischler on the bycatch problem and the need for EU action, I also pressed the Commission to institute an observer programme across the EU to broaden the information available on bycatch.

Dolphins

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has to press for the compulsory introduction of new fishing nets with an escape hatch for dolphins across the EU; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans she has to require new fishing nets to have an escape hatch for dolphins within the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: I have written recently to Commissioner Fischler explaining the trials on separator grids which the Sea Mammal Research Unit will be undertaking on our behalf in the offshore bass fishery in March. I urged the Commissioner to be ready to take action to address the problem of cetacean bycatch in this EU fishery, either through compulsory introduction of this gear if the trials are successful, or by other means if they are not.

Dolphins

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has made to the (a) French, (b) Spanish and (c) Portugese Governments on the issue of dolphins being trapped in fishing nets; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: For international fisheries implicated in the bycatch problem, action is required at EU level. This is why I have written recently to Commissioner Fischler alerting him to my concern on this issue and urging EU action to resolve the problem. We will also be briefing other member states about the evidence we have and the state of progress of trials on mitigation methods. As a start I have written to M. Glavany, the French Minister with responsibility for fisheries, drawing my concerns to his attention and seeking support for my approach to the Commission. Spain rarely fishes in the mouth of the Channel where the current problems seem to be focused. We are not aware of any Portuguese activity in this area.

Waste Disposal

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the UK strategy is with respect to the EU Landfill Directive, for the disposal of liquid waste; and what the locations are of sites capable of treating liquid waste.

Michael Meacher: The forthcoming Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations which will implement the regulatory and technical requirements of the Landfill Directive will ban the landfilling of hazardous liquid wastes from July 2002 as required by the Directive. The Directive also requires that non-hazardous liquids are banned from landfill 'as soon as possible' and no later than July 2009. The Government are working with the Environment Agency and the waste industry to set a date within these parameters for the ban on non-hazardous liquids to come into effect.
	The Department does not hold details of the locations of individual treatment facilities for liquid waste and to collate it would be disproportionately costly.

Waste Disposal

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to extend the principle of producer responsibility to other groups who benefit from the sale, purchase and use of cars and other consumer goods.

Brian Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
	The End of Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC) defines "producers" and sets down the responsibilities they have for vehicle design and composition, and at end-of-life; the Directive also defines "economic operators", and sets down ELV recovery and recycling targets which must be achieved by 2006 and 2015. The Government are currently considering how they wish these producer responsibilities to be discharged, and how the targets should be met. The current draft of the proposed EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive contains similar provisions. The Department has undertaken also to publish shortly a discussion paper on a possible producer responsibility model for tyres. Consideration is also being given within Government to producer responsibility initiatives for direct mail and non-packaging farm plastics.

Empty Properties

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 240W, what the total area in square feet of all empty properties owned by (a) her Department, (b) her agencies and (c) other public bodies for which she has had responsibility was in each year since May 1997.

Elliot Morley: The information requested is set out in the tables. As the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created on 8 June 2001, this relates to the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The Department does not hold centrally information about properties occupied by non-departmental public bodies.
	Under Treasury guidelines, Departments have up to three years or more to dispose of surplus properties to ensure that the best possible price is obtained. The areas of some empty properties will, therefore, be included in more than one of the total annual area figures shown in the tables.
	Redundant buffer depots (food stores) formerly used to accommodate the strategic food stockpile account for a large proportion of the empty core DEFRA space (figures shown in italics). However, the programme of disposals of buffer depots is now nearing completion.
	
		Total area of empty core DEFRA properties in square metres and (square feet) including former buffer depots(9)
		
			  Square metres Square metres Square feet Square feet 
		
		
			 2000–01 89,800 88,200 996,600 949,400 
			 1999–2000 106,300 106,200 1,144,200 1,43,100 
			 1998–99 118,400 111,600 1,274,400 1,201,300 
			 1997–98 132,900 128,100 1,430,500 1,378,900 
		
	
	(9) Also shown separately in italics
	
		Total area of empty DEFRA agency properties
		
			  Square metres Square feet 
		
		
			 2000–01 4,800 51,700 
			 1999–2000 5,800 62,400 
			 1998–99 1,700 18,300 
			 1997–98 1,700 18,300

Weeds Act 1959

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources her Department is devoting to enforcement of the Weeds Act 1959 in the current financial year.

Elliot Morley: This Department will investigate complaints about the spread of injurious weeds covered by the Weeds Act 1959 to farmed land or land used for the keeping of horses as part of a diversified farm business. Where the complaint is valid the occupier of the land will be asked to take action to remove the weeds. In most cases the occupier will co-operate and act promptly to remove the weed. However in a small number of cases, following discussion with the parties involved, the occupier will persistently refuse to take action. If this is the case we will arrange for the weeds to be cleared and will recover the cost from the occupier of the land.
	When following up a complaint we may arrange for an inspector from the Rural Payments Agency to visit the holding to identify the weed concerned and the level of infestation. If necessary a follow-up visit may also be carried out to ensure the weeds have been removed. Technical staff from the Department's Rural Development Service will oversee clearance work arranged by DEFRA.
	In the current financial year all work involving farm visits has been severely constrained by the foot and mouth outbreak. As a result only some one and a half staff years were devoted to this work over the period from April to December 2001.

Vets

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many vets are employed in Somerset; and how many were involved in the foot and mouth epidemic in the South West.

Elliot Morley: The number of vets employed in Somerset as at 28 February 2002 is 22.
	The number of vets involved in the foot and mouth epidemic in the South West was 810.

Pollution

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps her Department has taken to assist local authorities with inspection of polluting processes.

Michael Meacher: Local authorities receive income from fees and charges required to be paid by relevant polluting processes to cover the costs of undertaking their Local Air Pollution Control functions. The new risk-based regulation methodology being developed should provide local authorities with a framework for planning their inspection programmes.

Pollution

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure that local authorities conduct the inspection of polluting processes required by (i) her Department and (ii) statute.

Michael Meacher: Local authorities have been given the Local Air Pollution Control regulatory function and it is for them to ensure that it is carried out adequately. They are letting down those they represent if they do not do so.
	Local authorities have powers of entry under section 108 of the Environment Act 1995 to carry out inspections. Although the statute does not prescribe any specific level or frequency of inspections, like any statutory power this power must be exercised reasonably, to pursue the purpose of the statute.
	The Department works closely with the Local Government Association and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health over the implementation of LAPC. Specifically, in the last two years it has publicly listed all local authorities with a low inspection record, and has this year written to all these local authorities asking to be told what action will be taken to rectify the situation. We will shortly be writing to chief executives of all local authorities to remind them of the importance of undertaking adequate inspection.

Pollution

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the results of the local authority pollution control statistical survey since 1997; and what steps have been taken by her Department in consequence.

Michael Meacher: The statistical survey covers a wide spectrum of issues concerning the local air pollution control system; the 2000–01 report is over 200 pages long. It ranges from simple numbers of applications and authorised processes in each of the 24 process categories, to data on speed of local authority decision, numbers and types of prosecutions, whether cost accounting is undertaken, and whether authorities have enforcement policies. Each statistical report is circulated to key stakeholders for their comment and the reports are now published. The reports are very carefully considered by the Department and decisions made on what steps should be taken. For example, in the light of figures on local authority take-up of cost accounting, steps were taken to reinforce to local authorities the importance of adopting such practice, and practical guidance was issued to all local authorities on cost accounting methods.

Aquatic Pursuits

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Environment Agency has taken to improve access to waters for canoeists.

Alun Michael: On those navigations managed by the Agency, it has taken measures to improve facilities for canoeists. Canoe portage facilities have been installed on the rivers Great Ouse, Nene, and Stour with similar works planned for other rivers including the Thames. On rivers where there is no right of navigation, the Agency has sought to improve access for canoeists nationally through the Angling and Canoe Liaison Group which it hosts, chairs, and provides secretarial support for. With support from this Group, the Agency has funded the production of a booklet, "Agreeing Access to Water for Canoeing".

Aquatic Pursuits

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which members of the Environment Agency Board have had interests in (a) angling and (b) boating/canoeing.

Alun Michael: No information is retained on the leisure activities of Environment Agency Board Members.
	Board Members are drawn from, but do not represent, a wide range of relevant interests. They are selected on the basis that their stature, background and breadth of experience will enable them to make wide-ranging, direct and relevant contributions to the management of the Agency.

Meat Imports

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports (a) she and (b) Parliament receive from the (i) Ports Authority, (ii) HM Customs and Excise and (iii) Foods Standards Agency regarding the importing of illegal meat.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 5 March 2002
	We receive information on seizures of illegally imported animal products from all the enforcement agencies involved. This information is shared among enforcement authorities and kept on a DEFRA database. Reports are made to Parliament in response to Parliamentary Questions.

Meat Imports

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the interaction of the Ports Authority, HM Customs and Excise and the Foods Standards Agency in tackling illegal imports of meat.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 5 March 2002
	Since April last year initiatives on illegal imports have been co-ordinated by officials in DEFRA, working closely with other departments such as HM Customs and Excise and the Food Standards Agency, as well as the local authorities and port health authorities who are responsible for controls at ports and airports.
	This joint approach has led to more effective information sharing and improved targeting of activity at ports and airports.
	DEFRA is also holding a high level forum next month involving enforcement agencies, port and airport authorities airlines and other stakeholders, to consider the next steps for intensifying our efforts and to agree further priorities and action.

Meat Imports

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of meat imports are checked on entry to the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	All consignments of meat legally imported from third countries into the UK are subjected to a documentary check on the veterinary certification and an identity check to match the goods to certification. At least 50 per cent. of poultry and game meat and 20 per cent. of other meat imports are also given a physical check, which may include organoleptic checks, temperature checks and laboratory tests for pathogens or contaminants. Meat imported from other member states is not checked at the frontier but may be subjected to random checks at the point of destination.

Meat Imports

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions for importing illegal meat have been carried out in each of the last three years.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 1 March 2002
	HM Customs and Excise have prosecuted three people for offences under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) involving illegal meat imports. Two of these were convicted as a CITES offence and one was acquitted but convicted under a separate Animal Health charge.

Meat Imports

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new resources she is putting into inspections at ports and airports to track illegal meat imports.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 1 March 2002
	As part of a programme of action on illegal imports we are reviewing the appropriate level of inspection. However, currently responsibility for checks on illegal meat imports are the responsibility of the local or port health authority and it is for the appropriate local authority to deploy staff accordingly depending on the volume and nature of the products imported.

Meat Imports

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) beef and (b)lamb is produced annually in the UK; what the annual consumption of these products in the UK is; how much of these products was imported in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Figures for beef and lamb/mutton combined (separate figures are not available for lamb) are provided in the table.
	
		Thousand tonnes(10) 
		
			  Home fed production Imported Consumption(10) 
		
		
			 Beef
			 1996 710.4 169.1 732.4 
			 1997 698.3 216.5 856.6 
			 1998 699.5 151.9 858.2 
			 1999 678.8 183.2 934.3 
			 2000 705.9 196.6 915.0 
			 
			  Mutton and Lamb  
			 1996 382.5 156.2 378.0 
			 1997 350.8 151.7 359.6 
			 1998 385.5 141.5 380.5 
			 1999 402.7 137.1 386.9 
			 2000 390.6 134.1 395.0 
		
	
	(10) Dressed carcase weight
	 Note:
	Total domestic use; home fed production plus imports less exports net of stock.

IACS Payments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will pay interest to farmers who have received their IACS payments late.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	EC regulations do not provide for the payment of interest. The extent to which claimants might be entitled to compensation for delays in their payments will be considered in the light of the merits of any representation made.

IACS Payments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of IACS payments due were made before 31 January 2002 (a) in Gloucestershire and (b) in England.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	80 per cent. of IACS claims in Gloucestershire and 94 per cent. of IACS claims in England were authorised for payment as at 31 January 2002.

IACS Payments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will investigate the time taken for payment of IACS in Gloucestershire; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Claims throughout the country were delayed as a result of the diversion of staff to foot and mouth disease duties and, more significantly, by industrial action by staff in the RPA. Until the industrial action was suspended on 11 January it was not possible to take action to relieve sites which were under the greatest pressure. Gloucester claims are processed at Exeter and, following the suspension, extra teams were drafted in from other RPA sites across the country and significant amounts of overtime were worked. As a result of this recovery action most of the Gloucestershire claims which are able to be paid will have been cleared by the end of February.

IACS Payments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average time taken is for making IACS payments to farmers (a) in the UK and (b) in other EU countries; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 5 March 2002
	The information requested is not collected. However, payments were delayed due to industrial action together with the knock-on effect of staff deployed on foot and mouth disease duties. The Rural Payments Agency as part of their change process are seeking to ensure payments are made as early as possible in the payment window.

Wheat

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price of wheat has been in the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what the (a) world and (b) EU prices were; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Average wheat prices for the last five years, for the UK, EU and world, are given in the tables.
	
		
			  World price(11) $/t EU price(12) euro/t UK price(13) £/t 
		
		
			 1997 144 136 92 
			 1998 111 100 78 
			 1999 97 92 74 
			 2000 99 108 70 
			 2001 108 122 76 
		
	
	(11) US Soft Red Winter No. 2 fob US Gulf.
	(12) EEC Standard wheat France Rouen.
	(13) Production-weighted average of milling and feed wheat ex-farm prices.
	Sources:
	1. HGCA (Home Grown Cereals Authority)
	2. IGC (International Grains Council)
	3. HGCA
	
		Prices converted to sterling
		
			  World price £/t EU price £/t UK price £/t £/$ exchange rate £/euro exchange rate 
		
		
			 1997 88 94 92 0.6118 0.6906 
			 1998 67 68 78 0.6034 0.6762 
			 1999 60 61 74 0.6181 0.6589 
			 2000 65 66 70 0.6607 0.6093 
			 2001 75 76 76 0.6941 0.6218

Fly Tipping

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the landfill tax on fly tipping; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The Department does not collate statistics on fly tipping. Reports by the Tidy Britain Group on this issue showed that the type of waste most frequently fly-tipped is household waste. It is unlikely that the landfill tax causes householders to fly tip waste because local authorities have a legal obligation to collect or accept this type of waste and, as a result, householders do not directly meet the cost of the tax.
	Under Section 59 of the Environment Protection Act 1990, local authorities (or the Environment Agency) have the power to remove any fly-tipped waste and recover costs incurred from any person who made or knowingly caused or permitted the deposit of the waste.
	The local authority or the Environment Agency also has the power to prosecute the perpetrators of fly tipping which can lead to an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment for up to two years (five years for special wastes).

Agrimonetary Compensation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to claim agrimonetary compensation from the CAP; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	We have made no plans to claim any further agrimonetary compensation. We are waiting for the Commission to confirm whether any further compensation is available, and we will take a decision when we have the information.

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of her staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA actively supports its staff in giving time to their communities. We aim to raise the profile of volunteering and make it easier for staff to give their time and effort to voluntary work.
	Staff are allowed varying amounts of paid time off for voluntary public duties such as serving as magistrates or school governors. Additionally, in September 2000, we introduced arrangements that allow all staff a day's paid special leave each year to participate in an unpaid voluntary activity. Up until the end of March 2001, 10 people had taken advantage of this in DEFRA (including the Pesticides Safety Directorate, Rural Payments Agency, Veterinary Laboratories Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate). Due to major staff re-deployment during the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak, no records were kept between April and December 2001. So far this year three people have taken a day's paid leave for voluntary work.
	DEFRA is supporting staff who wish to join the volunteer programme to help in the arrangements for the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and will be allowing staff 50 per cent. of their time volunteering as paid special leave up to a maximum of eight days.
	I have asked the Chief Executives of the Central Science Laboratory and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to reply separately.

Organophosphate Pesticides

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what economic assessment has been made of the cost of banning Thinsec (Carbaryl) for the top fruit industry.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Pesticide products containing carbaryl have been reviewed as part of the general review in the UK of all organophosphate pesticides. The main purpose of the review is to address public concerns about the potential toxicity of these chemicals and economic impact is not an overriding consideration where safety is concerned. However, the loss of some compounds may have an economic impact on particular sectors of industry. The decision to revoke a particular compound is not taken lightly. It may be revoked because serious safety concerns remain following the evaluation of data submitted in support of the compound or because there was insufficient data submitted for an adequate evaluation of the data to be made. The loss of carbaryl stems from a commercial decision by the approval holder not to support the compound under the UK review.

Organophosphate Pesticides

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the use of Thinsec (Carbaryl) for top fruit has been banned.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Carbaryl has been included as part of the general review in the UK of all organophosphate pesticides. The review was undertaken because of public concerns about the potential toxicity of these chemicals.
	Organophosphate pesticides are mainly older compounds and the review will establish whether there is sufficient safety data available to satisfy modern standards. Companies are therefore required to submit data they hold on human health and environmental effects to support the continued safe use of the products containing these compounds. If data are not submitted then the approval for these products are revoked.
	The approval holder for carbaryl did not submit supporting data, therefore products containing carbaryl have been revoked. The approval for the product Thinsec expired on 31 July 2001.

Organophosphate Pesticides

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on the decision to ban Thinsec (Carbaryl) for UK top fruit producers; and which EU countries plan to follow the UK's lead.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Under EU rules the UK is not obliged to inform other member states of any national review programme of pesticide products undertaken to address national issues. However, all member states and the commission were informed of the UK programme to review organophosphate compounds, which includes carbaryl. In addition, all are automatically informed of any new product approvals and revocations. A separate European programme intends to review all active substances used in plant protection products within the community and all member states and the commission are involved in this decision-making process.
	The approval holder for carbaryl did not submit supporting data under the UK review and therefore the approval for all products containing carbaryl, including Thinsec, have been revoked. Under the European review programme carbaryl has been supported so far. Data for the evaluation of carbaryl must be submitted to the member state evaluating the compound by the end of April 2002. The continued approval of carbaryl throughout Europe is therefore dependent on the conclusions of that evaluation.
	It is possible for member states to carry out their own review exercises and for these to be carried out at different times to the European review. Member states are not obliged to follow other countries, domestic decisions regarding the approval or revocation of compounds. In this case, the UK organophosphate review was introduced to address public concerns about the safety of these compounds and we have acted in a consistent manner to revoke their use where appropriate.

Farming

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to improve the public image of farming in England; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The public image of farming in England is not the responsibility of Government alone. Farming faces a wide range of challenges and we are committed to working with all those with an interest in the future of farming to help tackle these and develop a more sustainable industry that better meets society's expectations.
	That is why we established the independent Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food. The Commission's report to Government sets out a clear vision for a sustainable competitive and diverse farming and food sector, playing a dynamic role in the rural economy and delivering the environmental outputs that society demands. Delivery of this vision is for industry and other organisations, as well as Government. We will be launching shortly a process for engaging with interested organisations on the details of this with a view to launching a strategy for sustainable food and farming in the early autumn.

Social Exclusion (Transport)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on what research the Countryside Agency has launched into social exclusion and transport; and when it is expected to publish its research.

Alun Michael: The Countryside Agency is not currently involved in research specifically into social exclusion and transport. However, certain other studies include elements relating to the transport needs of the socially excluded. One such study is on "Wheels to Work", an evaluation and good practice guide on access to education and employment for young people. This is due to report in April.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when Section 47 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 will be implemented.

Alun Michael: Section 47 is part of a group of provisions relating to restricted byways. Our aim is to consult later this year on the secondary legislation needed to implement these provisions, with a view to bringing them into effect in the early part of 2003. The task is complicated by the need to amend any relevant existing highways legislation: in primary legislation alone there are over 40,000 references to be investigated.

Village Halls

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Countryside Agency on the subject of village halls.

Alun Michael: I believe strongly that community buildings and village halls have an important role to play in village life. They can make an enormous difference to the well-being of communities by providing sustainable, multi-functional and flexible resources. They can provide a focus for a range of activities including child care, employment training and advice, sports, leisure and participative activities involving all members of the rural community.
	Recent evidence from the Countryside Agency's "Rural Services Survey" suggests that the substantial amounts of funding from various sources over recent years—the 21st Century Halls for England Fund, the Community Fund, Awards for All funding and local authorities—has been very successful in increasing provision of village halls. We are in regular contact with the Countryside Agency on these issues and my officials will be meeting Action for Communities in Rural England shortly to discuss how best to support local communities so as to complement the investment that has gone into village halls.

Cattle Feed

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the importation of cattle feed into the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 February 2002
	New EU-wide measures (implemented domestically under the Processed Animal Protein Regulations from 1 August 2001) already control intra-Community trade and imports from third countries of a wide range of processed animal proteins effectively preventing their inclusion in feed for farmed animals in order to stop the propagation of BSE.
	In Great Britain, a national feed sampling programme has been in place since 1996 to monitor compliance with BSE-related feed controls. This programme, operated by the State Veterinary Service, typically takes around 20,000 samples per year from feed mills, on-farm mixers and other premises handling livestock feed. The results of the programme are very encouraging and indicate wide compliance with the feed controls, confirming that prohibited ingredients (from domestic or imported sources) are being effectively removed from the market, distribution channels and farms.
	One theoretical issue is that recent cases of BSE in younger animals may have been exposed to infection as a result of cross-contamination (during transhipment) of imported vegetable protein used in the production of animal feedingstuffs with meat and bone meal. We are continuing carefully to investigate such cases, but there is currently no clear evidence that individual animals have been infected by this route.

Veterinary Medicines

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will define suitably qualified persons who may sell animal medicines for food-producing animals under EU directive 2001/ 82/EC.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 1 March 2002
	Directive 2001/82/EC restricts the retail sale of veterinary medicinal products to persons permitted to carry out such operations by the legislation of the member state concerned. There are no proposals to change this provision. Under UK legislation veterinary medicines for food-producing animals may be sold by veterinary surgeons, registered pharmacists, registered agricultural merchants and saddlers or, in some cases, by any retail outlet, depending upon the conditions of use and consequent distribution category under which a particular product is classified.

Veterinary Medicines

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government define veterinary surgeons as the only suitably qualified professionals to sell animal medicines, under the terms of EU Directive/2001/82/EC.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 1 March 2002
	No. Directive 2001/82/EC restricts the retail sale of veterinary medicinal products to persons permitted to carry out such operations by the legislation of the member state concerned. UK legislation does not restrict the sale of veterinary medicines to veterinary surgeons. Veterinary medicines may be sold by veterinary surgeons, registered pharmacists, registered agricultural merchants and saddlers or by any retail outlet, depending upon the conditions of use and consequent distribution category under which a particular product is classified.

Livestock Markets

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the future of auction marts.

Elliot Morley: I have received a number of representations from auctioneers and the livestock industry. From 11 February it has been possible, under the Interim Animal Movements Regime, for some livestock markets to re-open, subject to biosecurity conditions. I am keeping the position of livestock markets under review.

Agricultural Tenancies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's approach to the review of farm business tenancies.

Elliot Morley: Farm business tenancies can be established under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. This Act is currently the subject of a policy evaluation review which is being carried out by the University of Plymouth. This work is nearing completion, and the final report is expected shortly.
	The recommendations made by the research team will be considered in detail over the coming months, in parallel with the tenancy related recommendations of the Policy Commission on Food and Farming.

Meat and Plant Imports

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many checks on meat and plant imports were carried out in each of the last five years; and how many imports were found to be illegal.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 1 March 2002
	We do not hold figures for the last five years.
	Between November 2000 and October 2001, 19,140 checks were made at Border Inspection Posts and 458 of these were rejected.
	In terms of personal baggage, since April 2001, 1,142 seizures of illegally imported animal and plant products have been made.

EU Fruit Marketing Standard

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if a decision has been taken on proposals to amend the EC Marketing Standard for Apples and Pears.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 4 March 2002
	No decision has yet been taken on the EU Commission's proposals to amend the EU Marketing Standard for Apples and Pears. As I indicated in my written reply of 15 January, we will ensure that the views expressed by all stakeholders are taken into consideration in any future discussions.

Scottish Executive

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason a devolved administration minister did not attend the 2410 European Union Council of Ministers meeting (Agriculture) on 18 February; which particular matters of concern from the Scottish Executive were raised in their absence by the UK Government delegation; and what evidence is being provided by her Department to guarantee effective post-council scrutiny by the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Scottish Executive Ministers did not attend the February Agriculture Council as there was nothing on the agenda of specific interest to Scotland and the UK Government are well briefed on the Scottish Executive interests in more general matters. There was no need for the UK Government to raise any issues of particular concern to the Scottish Executive. On the third point, it is the responsibility of the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise the Scottish Executive's involvement in preparations for EU Council meetings. These arrangements are a matter for the Committee and the Scottish Executive. My Department provides information to Scottish Executive officials as part of that process.

Horticulture (Climate Change Levy)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the climate change levy upon the (a) profitability and (b) competitiveness of British horticulture.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 4 March 2002
	It is not possible to comment precisely on the effect of the climate change levy on the competitive position of our horticulture industry. This depends, among other things, on the extent to which individual sectors and firms within the industry are exposed to international competition; its future energy use; and the extent to which it takes up the incentives which the Government have introduced to help it improve its environmental performance and to protect its competitiveness. These incentives include:
	a special package of support which aims to improve energy efficiency across the sector, including the provision of site-specific advice for individual businesses;
	exemptions from the levy for most renewable sources of energy and for fuel used by good quality combined heat and power systems;
	enhanced capital allowances for investments in energy efficiency technologies including thermal screens, boilers, combined heat and power systems and lighting; and
	a temporary 50 per cent. discount on the levy to the horticulture sector for a period of up to five years while the energy efficiency measures targeted at the sector take effect.

Private Sewers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action is being taken in respect of private sewers.

Michael Meacher: I announced this morning that agreement has been reached with the House Builders Federation and the water industry that all new sewers will be built to one agreed standard. We now have in place a protocol which sets out the key elements of design and construction for new development to enable wider adoption of sewers. As a result, owners of new property will not have the kind of problems experienced by those with existing private sewers. Copies of the protocol and the report on the outcome of the consultation undertaken by the Department into new sewers and drains have been placed in the Library. They are also on the Department's website.
	I am equally keen that we should assist owners of existing private sewers. We have therefore appointed outside consultants to undertake research to establish the extent of the private sewer network, identify and examine the problems associated with private sewers and produce workable solutions. The research began in December and is due to last 18 months.

Waste Water Treatment

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made to review and identify further areas under the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Based on recommendations from the Environment Agency I (by authority of the Secretary of State) announced this morning that I have reviewed the identification of Sensitive Areas in England in accordance with the criteria in Part I of Schedule I of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994 (which transposes the European Council Directive (91/271/EEC) concerning urban waste water treatment).
	This review has resulted in the identification of four freshwater stretches of the rivers Stour, Wissey, Chelmer and Leam, which are intended for the abstraction of drinking water, to be identified as Sensitive Areas (nitrate) on the basis of elevated levels of nitrate under the terms of the regulations.
	These new requirements on water companies to remove nitrate from sewage treatment discharges will complement the action required by farmers under the Nitrates Directive.
	Work to provide more stringent treatment (nitrogen removal) at six qualifying treatment works is expected to be completed by end 2004. 180 bathing waters (already identified under the Bathing Waters Regulations 1991) in England are also to be identified as Sensitive Areas as discharges from qualifying sewage treatment works receive, or are to receive by 2005 more stringent treatment (ultraviolet disinfection) to fulfil standards of those regulations.
	Funding for these improvements have already been provided for in the Office of Water Services (Ofwat) Periodic Review of water company price limits for the five-year period from 2000.
	We are committed to a steady improvement to Britain's freshwater and bathing quality. Already we have the best ever recorded bathing water quality. Today's moves mean that we can continue our efforts to ensure clean and healthy water both for this country's inhabitants and its aquatic life.
	Lists of the new sensitive areas have today been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses. Maps showing the location of all current sensitive areas (nitrate) and (bathing waters) will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and at offices of the Environment Agency in due course.

Hazardous Waste

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what regulatory impact assessment she has made of the (a) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive and (b) Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive;
	(2)  what the estimated cost is to (a) public funds and (b) the industry of implementing the (i) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive and (ii) Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive in the United Kingdom;
	(3)  what representations she has made within the Council for Ministers regarding the (a) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive and (b) Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive and Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances Directive were discussed at the Environment Council on 18–19 December 2000, 8 March 2001 and 7–8 June 2001, where my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment represented the UK. He stated our support for the environmental objectives of the Directives, which are very much in line with our national Waste Strategies. The UK negotiating line on the Directives was clearly explained to the House in European Standing Committee C on 28 March 2001 by the former Minister of State for Industry and Energy, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
	My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Energy has the lead responsibility for negotiating these Directives. He placed initial Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIA) for each in the Libraries of both Houses on 7 December 2000 and I am informed that he will be submitting revised RIAs later this month. Based on the principle of Producer Responsibility, these Directives provide that producers will be responsible for financing the costs which arise.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Ministerial Meetings

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what date she and her Ministers last met the Education Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and her Ministers last formally met the Education Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales on 24 September 2001.

Departmental Website

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of her Department's website was in real terms in each of the last four years; and how many hits it received in each of those years.

Ivan Lewis: Core programme cost for the Department for Education and Skills central website (real terms figures are all compared with 2000–01 cost) were as follows.
	
		
			   £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 42,275 
			 1998–99 82,420 
			 1999–2000 137,328 
			 2000–01 261,000 
			 2001–02 640,976 
		
	
	There is now wide acceptance among professionals in the web industry that hits are not a measure of site performance. So the Department, in line with the Government, as a whole gives more importance to unique visitors and page impressions than hits.
	For example, the Department made a big effort in 2000 to speed up download times by reducing numbers of files on the site, hence hits went down from 173 million in 2000, to 89 million in 2001, while use was increasing.
	Reliable site traffic figures are only available since January 2000.
	Estimated site traffic for year 1999 is as follows:
	Hits: 11.4 million.
	Site traffic for year 2000 is as follows:
	Unique visitors: average 1,293,000 per month
	Page views: 43.7 million.

Individual Learning Account

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement in respect of the progress of her investigations into alleged fraud and abuse concerned with the individual learning account scheme; and whether her Department has the information necessary about individual learning account holders from the Capita database.

John Healey: The Department's Special Investigations Unit is investigating 97 registered learning providers. Of these, police are investigating 16 and the Department's Special Investigation Unit is discussing a further 52 with the police. 44 arrests have been made in relation to allegations of fraud with the operation of the individual learning account programme and 13 people have been charged, one of whom has been convicted.
	As at 31 December, the Department had received some 5,900 complaints from individuals claiming that money had been drawn from their individual learning account (ILA) without their knowledge or consent. Complaints received will be followed up with providers, and where we have evidence of fraud we will make referrals to the police.
	The Department's Special Investigation Unit has had access to information from the ILA Centre system about ILA holders necessary to carry out its investigations.

Individual Learning Account

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what date the new registration scheme for ILAs was (a) commissioned of and (b) delivered by Capita; when the new scheme was announced and by what means.

John Healey: The Department signed a letter of intent in April 2000 with Capita Business Services Ltd., but Capita began working on an action plan in March 2000. The Department signed the contract with Capita to act as the customer service provider for individual learning accounts on 2 June 2000. Registration for ILA holders and ILA learning providers was open from 12 June 2000 before the ILA national framework was launched on 4 September 2000.

Capita Contracts

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the Cap Gemini report on the operation of the ILA scheme was commissioned; when it was due for delivery; when it was delivered; and what response her Department has made to the report.

John Healey: Cap Gemini Ernst and Young were commissioned by the Department to "Baseline the Capita computer systems" and to "Examine the Capita ILA system security arrangements". The assignments are not on the operation of ILAs. Work began in late December and it is envisaged that the final reports will be received in March.

Capita Contracts

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Department.

Ivan Lewis: My Department has a number of contracts with Capita for a range of different services. These are as follows:
	Teachers' Pensions: Administration of the Teachers' Pensions Scheme.
	Connexions Card: Development of the Connexions Card.
	Individual Learning Accounts: Administration of the ILA scheme.
	Consultancy Framework Contracts: Framework contract to provide general management consultancy support and consultancy support for LEA interventions.
	They are all existing contracts within my Department.

Capita Contracts

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list all contracts awarded by her Department to Capita since 1997, including (a) start and finish date of contract, (b) value of contract, (c) description of work to be carried out, (d) evaluation mechanism for successful delivery of contract, (e) penalty charges for failure to deliver and (f) if penalty charges have been incurred; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My Department has awarded a number of contracts to Capita since 1997 for a range of different services. These are as follows:
	Connexions Card—Development of the Connexions Card. A public-private partnership with a contract value in excess of £100 million over seven years from 2001 to 2008.
	Individual Learning Accounts—Administration of the ILA scheme. A contract for five years with an estimated value of around £55 million from 2000 to 2005.
	Consultancy Framework Contracts—Framework contract to provide general management consultancy support and consultancy support for LEA interventions. Both framework contracts were awarded for three years and expire in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Their level of usage determines the value of these contracts. Estimated expenditure to date has been £436,500.
	The Department establishes clear arrangements for monitoring the quality of outcomes delivered and for evaluating the contractor's performance as part of all of its contracting activity. Those contract management arrangements apply to each of the Capita contracts listed, and my officials have put those monitoring arrangements into operation. None of the Department's contracts include penalty clauses, as these are unenforceable under English law. The Department's contracts often include arrangements which motivate the contractor to perform by linking payment to performance and also provide for termination if the contractor is in breach of the contract terms.

Sector Skills Council (Sport and Fitness Industry)

Gillian Merron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to ensure the creation of a sector skills council for the sport and fitness industry.

John Healey: My Department is looking to employers to bring forward proposals for sectors that meet the Sector Skills Council (SSC) licensing standard and make sense to their industries. An expression of interest by employers to form an SSC in any sector will be considered by the Sector Skills Development Agency when it is made. If the expression of interest meets initial criteria then a period of up to six months will be agreed to develop a full SSC proposal. If this is successful an SSC licence will be issued. A Business Adviser has been allocated to advise employers in the sport and recreation sector on the preparation of an expression of interest.

Refurbishment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 25 January 2002, Official Report, column 1131W, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in each year since May 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The cost of refurbishing ministerial offices in each of the last four years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 1,960 
			 1999–2000 5,674 
			 1998–99 10,567 
			 1997–98 74,404

Teachers (Performance Management)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the cost has been of the performance related pay threshold assessment, broken down by (a) pay given to teachers, (b) administration costs paid to CEA including the costs of external assessors and (c) administration costs paid to CfBT, including costs of training for threshold assessment;
	(2)  what the cost has been of providing external advisers for the performance management of head teachers in England;
	(3)  what the total training cost has been of the performance management system.

Stephen Timms: Since December 2000 the Department has paid about £650 million to local authorities to cover the additional salary costs of teachers passing the threshold. To help with the operation of threshold assessment and performance management we also make £28 million per year available to schools through the Standards Fund.
	The Department has a contract with Cambridge Education Associates (CEA) for the provision and deployment of threshold assessors and external advisers to governing bodies on heads' performance. We also have a contract with the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) for training in threshold assessment and performance management. The value of these contracts depends on the volume and quality of activity. Since January 2000 total CEA contract costs have been around £36.5 million and CfBT costs around £12 million, including the value of investment that will support future activity.

Universities

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her definition is of a high-ranking university as mentioned in Chapter 4 of "14–19: extending opportunities, raising standards"; and if she will collect information regarding the socio-economic background of students entering such institutions to enable comparisons with those entering other universities.

Ivan Lewis: The reference to "high ranking universities" is to those universities which have particularly demanding entry requirements, as the higher award is based on at least ABB grades at A level plus one AS level or on an NVQ level 4. The Higher Education Funding Council for England already collects and publishes information on the social class of students entering higher education, which is broken down by institution. It published the information for the academic year 1999–2000, "Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK", last December (HEFCE Report 01/69). This is available on the HEFCE website at www.hefce.ac.uk/pi.

Civil Servants (Employment With Consultants)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the dates and indicate the nature of the guidance given by her Department to Government Departments since May 1997 with respect to civil servants seeking employment within (a) Capita, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) WS Atkins, (d) Nord Anglia, (e) Cambridge Education Associates, (f) KPMG and (g) Ernst and Young; and if she will place related documents in the Library.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 26 February 2002
	Civil servants wishing to take up employment outside the civil service are subject to the requirements of the Business Appointment Rules, which are set out in full in the Civil Service Management Code.

Secondments

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff were seconded between (a) Capita, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) WS Atkins, (d) Nord Anglia, (e) Cambridge Education Associates, (f) KPMG and (g) Ernst and Young and her Department in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 26 February 2002
	The information is set out in the table in respect of Ernst and Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers; there were no secondments during these periods between any of the other companies listed and this Department.
	
		
			   Ernst and Young PricewaterhouseCoopers 
		
		
			 1999–2000 1 — 
			 2000–01 5 1

Pupil Data

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reason the Government are collecting the names and addresses of all children; and how this information will be used.

Stephen Timms: The Department is collecting the names of most children, but not the addresses of any. This January we introduced the "Pupil Level Annual Schools Census" (PLASC) for maintained schools in England. Schools provided a list of the pupils on their register together with each pupil's name, "unique pupil number" (UPN), home postcode (not full address), and other details such as ethnic group, special educational needs and eligibility for free school meals. This information will be combined with details of Key Stage assessment and examination results collected separately from schools, marking agencies and exam boards, and with future PLASC returns, to create statistical profiles of pupils. The Department has no interest in the identity of individual pupils as such. However pupil names (in addition to UPNs) are needed to ensure that all data relating to the same pupil are collated correctly, and therefore that the statistical profiles are accurate. Within the Department only technical staff directly engaged in the data collation process will have access to pupil names.
	Analysis of these statistical profiles will provide major new information to help schools, LEAs, the Department and other educational agencies in the drive to raise standards. It will also enable groups of pupils (such as ethnic minorities) who may be under-achieving to be identified far more effectively so that programmes can be developed or improved to meet their needs. Home postcodes too will be used for statistical purposes only. The postcode mix of a school's pupils provides an indication of socio-economic background which can be taken into account (along with other factors) in comparing the performance of different schools and setting targets for improvement. Postcode information also enables neighbourhood analyses to be carried out.
	Certain limited disclosures of PLASC data with pupil names may take place provided these comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and any other legislative requirements. For further details I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 28 January 2002, Official Report, columns 109–11W to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington).

Special Urgency Provisions

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how often the Department has applied the special urgency provisions in paragraph 22 of Circular 18/84 (Development by Government Departments) to a development by the Department; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My Department has not used the special urgency provisions in paragraph 22 Circular 18/84 (Development by Government Departments).

School Absence

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) number and (b) percentage of half days missed each year was in (i) maintained primary schools, (ii) maintained secondary schools and (iii) all maintained schools in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The information is as follows:
	
		Half days missed (authorised and unauthorised absence) in maintained schools in England 1997–2001
		
			 Academic years Number of half days missed (thousand) Percentage of half days missed 
		
		
			 Primary schools   
			 1996–97 66,839.5 6.1 
			 1997–98 66,912.6 6.2 
			 1998–99 66,501.5 5.9 
			 1999–2000 62,926.5 5.7 
			 2000–01 67,094.9 6.1 
			
			 Secondary schools   
			 1996–97 75,934.5 9.1 
			 1997–98 74,902.7 9.0 
			 1998–99 77,722.3 8.9 
			 1999–2000 75,701.5 8.6 
			 2000–01 79,906.9 9.0 
			
			  Primary and secondary schools 
			 1996–97 142,774.0 7.4 
			 1997–98 141,815.4 7.4 
			 1998–99 144,223.8 7.2 
			 1999–2000 138,628.1 7.0 
			 2000–01 147,001.9 7.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	Figures are based on maintained mainstream schools and exclude maintained special schools and City Technology colleges. Information is collected for the period from the start of the school year in September to the mid-term break in May.
	In the second round of Education Development Plans (EDPs), local education authorities were asked to set targets for the percentage of half days missed each year. The targets have now been submitted and are currently being assessed.

Special Educational Needs (Autism)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on autistic education in each year since 1997 in (a) South Tyneside, (b) the north-east and (c) the UK.

Ivan Lewis: Funding is not made available for specific categories of special educational need. Rather, funding is allocated and distributed via local education authorities (LEAs), who have a duty to provide appropriately for all children in their area. This includes the duty to identify children's individual special educational needs and to deliver the most appropriate provision to meet those needs.
	More than £23 billion is available annually for the education of school children, including children with special educational needs. Over £1 billion of this is used by LEAs to provide additional support for children with special educational needs.
	We have also made £91 million of supported expenditure available for special educational needs in next year's Standards Fund (2002–03). This is five times the amount available in 1997–98. The fund can be used for a range of activities including training for staff in special educational needs, improvements in speech and language therapy provision for children with communication difficulties and the greater inclusion of children with SEN in the mainstream. This latter includes early intervention for pupils with SEN, training on child development and behaviour management, and improved links between special and mainstream schools.

Special Educational Needs (Autism)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action is being taken to promote Autism Awareness year.

Ivan Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Health gave to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) on 8 January 2002, Official Report, column 672–73W.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State welcomes initiatives that aim to improve our knowledge and understanding of autism and raise awareness of the condition. Better outcomes for children with autism are encouraged by early identification and intervention to meet their special educational needs. In 2002, the Department for Education and Skills will be publishing guidance for schools, local education authorities and others, which will include pointers to good practice on provision for children with autism, including early identification. The Department will continue to work with the National Autistic Society and other interested parties to raise awareness of autism and improve provision for children with the condition.

National Curriculum

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list those maintained schools which are known not to be offering the full national curriculum.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 28 February 2002
	For a school not to offer the full national curriculum, it must make an application to the Department for Education and Skills, to disapply elements of the national curriculum, under section 362 of the Education Act 1996. This is to allow curriculum development or experimentation.
	The schools that are currently disapplying elements of the national curriculum, through section 362, according to departmental records, are shown in the following list:
	Churchfields Performing Arts College (Swindon)
	Falmer High School (Brighton)
	Wye Valley School (Bucks)
	Blurton High School (Stoke)
	The Lord Silkin School (Telford)
	Moatbridge School (Greenwich)
	Willington High School (Wallsend)
	Cambourne School and Community College (Cambourne)
	Walton-le-Dale High School (Preston).

Amy Gehring

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 746W, on Amy Gehring, if she will make a statement on the content of that letter; and what action, and when, her Department took in response.

Stephen Timms: The letter received on 20 November 2000 from Surrey police contained factual information about allegations made against Miss Gehring and stated that no further police action would be taken. The letter did not express concern about the risk that Miss Gehring might present to children. After receiving the letter my officials initiated their List 99 procedures, making a criminal background check and writing to Timeplan seeking copies of all the documents relating to the case. On 8 January 2001 my officials were informed by Surrey police that Miss Gehring's conduct was the subject of a fresh police investigation. The officials then followed normal practice and suspended further inquiries until documents, witness statements and other evidence from the police investigation and trial became available.

Amy Gehring

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 746W, on Amy Gehring, on how many occasions in each of the past three years a police force has written to her Department to raise issues about a working teacher; and what action was taken in each case.

Stephen Timms: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department receives notification of misconduct from a number of sources including the police, a working teacher's employer and from press reports.

Amy Gehring

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 746W, on Amy Gehring, on what date the contents of the letter were communicated to Ministers.

Stephen Timms: Ministers were informed of the contents of the letter from Surrey police on 24 January 2002.

Teachers

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were at each point on the pay band in each local education authority in January 2001.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The data requested are not yet available.
	The numbers of full-time regular qualified classroom teachers on each point of the then classroom teacher pay spine, in March 2000, from records provided by local education authorities, are contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

Security

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent steps she has taken to improve security in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) colleges and (d) universities; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: From 1997–98 to date, we have supported spending totalling £110 million through local education authorities to provide security improvements at maintained primary and secondary schools in England. In 1997 the Department issued joint guidance with the Home Office on "School Security-Dealing with Troublemakers", and in March 2001 the Department produced a video "Can You See What They See?" and set up a website "www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolsecurity/". Further education colleges and universities, as autonomous bodies, are responsible for their own security arrangements within the resources available to them.

School Expenditure (Leeds)

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total spending was on schools in Leeds local education authority in each of the last 10 years in (a) cash and (b) real terms; and what the spending per pupil on the same basis in that period was.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is contained in the following tables.
	
		Spending on schools in Leeds LEA -- £ million
		
			  Cash terms Real terms 
		
		
			 1991–92 196 246 
			 1992–93 228 278 
			 1993–94 229 272 
			 1994–95 236 276 
			 1995–96 228 259 
			 1996–97 237 262 
			 1997–98 237 254 
			 1998–99 256 267 
			 1999–2000 294 299 
			 2000–01 325 325 
		
	
	
		Spending per pupil in Leeds LEA -- £
		
			  Cash terms Real terms 
		
		
			 1991–92 1,880 2,360 
			 1992–93 2,150 2,620 
			 1993–94 2,100 2,500 
			 1994–95 2,120 2,490 
			 1995–96 2,030 2,320 
			 1996–97 2,110 2,320 
			 1997–98 2,100 2,250 
			 1998–99 2,260 2,360 
			 1999–2000 2,600 2,640 
			 2000–01 2,890 2,890 
		
	
	Notes:
	Expenditure figures are based on net current expenditure after recharges on pre-primary, primary, secondary and special schools.
	For 1993–94 to 1998–99 includes payments to GM schools.
	Total spending rounded to the nearest £ million.
	Spending per pupil rounded to the nearest £10.
	Real terms figures are in 2000–01 prices using the December 2001 GDP deflators.
	Source:
	1991–92 to 1998–99 expenditure data are drawn from RO1 returns.
	1999–2000 and 2000–01 expenditure data are drawn from the S52 outturn returns.
	2000–01 expenditure figures are provisional and subject to change.

Apprenticeships

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to promote the level of apprenticeships in the UK.

Ivan Lewis: Last November, at the launch of the new generation of Modern Apprenticeships, the Secretary of State announced a £16 million marketing campaign, to be run over three years in England, to promote apprenticeships and boost participation. That campaign, led jointly by the Department and the Learning and Skills Council, starts on 4 March with a new television advertisement, aimed at young people, which will run until the end of the month.
	From the spring, a range of marketing measures will be introduced to reach not only young people, but also key influencers and employers. At the local level, Learning and Skills Councils, Connexions Partnerships, careers services and other partners will work together to raise awareness of, and foster support for, Modern Apprenticeships; and to provide young people with essential information and advice on the opportunities available in their communities. It is a key role of National Training Organisations and their successors the Sector Skills Councils in partnership with the LSC to ensure that employers continue to support MA and that they provide sufficient places to meet the demand from young people.
	Marketing and promotion of MAs in the rest of the country is for the devolved Administrations.

Cambridge Education Associates

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what restrictions she has placed on the information which Cambridge Education Associates can publish.

Stephen Timms: The Department's general terms and conditions for contractors include requirements about the publication of information. Our contracts with Cambridge Education Associates are consistent with this.

Supply Teachers

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of supply teachers working in maintained schools for periods over one week but less than one month in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 1 March 2002
	Information is not collected centrally in the form requested. The numbers of occasional teachers with contracts of less than one month, working for the whole day on the survey date, in the maintained schools sector, in January of each year, 1997 to 2001, by local education authority 1 , 2 , were as follows.
	
		
			   1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 City of London (16)— (16)— (16)— (16)— (16)— 
			 Camden 80 90 100 110 70 
			 Greenwich 60 70 60 50 100 
			 Hackney 50 80 70 110 230 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 80 90 80 90 230 
			 Islington 90 60 140 130 120 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 90 70 60 50 60 
			 Lambeth 70 30 30 90 50 
			 Lewisham 110 100 110 90 100 
			 Southwark 110 130 130 140 120 
			 Tower Hamlets 70 110 80 90 220 
			 Wandsworth 30 70 50 50 50 
			 City of Westminster 50 70 70 50 80 
			 Barking and Dagenham 60 100 90 60 110 
			 Barnet 40 60 90 80 100 
			 Bexley 70 60 100 130 110 
			 Brent 50 60 70 110 100 
			 Bromley 60 40 60 100 110 
			 Croydon 110 100 100 110 190 
			 Ealing 30 60 50 70 100 
			 Enfield 60 90 70 100 140 
			 Haringey 120 120 130 100 100 
			 Harrow 40 40 40 120 120 
			 Havering 60 70 80 100 90 
			 Hillingdon 30 30 40 70 90 
			 Hounslow 90 60 90 80 50 
			 Kingston upon Thames 20 40 40 30 60 
			 Merton 60 70 60 80 60 
			 Newham 170 160 130 200 230 
			 Redbridge 30 40 40 30 60 
			 Richmond upon Thames 60 20 60 70 110 
			 Sutton 60 40 40 70 40 
			 Waltham Forest 30 50 50 50 40 
			 Birmingham 300 460 200 220 300 
			 Coventry 120 80 70 100 110 
			 Dudley 70 130 80 120 120 
			 Sandwell 60 70 60 60 90 
			 Solihull 50 80 40 50 80 
			 Walsall 110 60 60 80 80 
			 Wolverhampton 70 70 60 70 150 
			 Knowsley 60 60 80 100 40 
			 Liverpool 230 130 150 190 130 
			 St. Helens 60 60 80 70 60 
			 Sefton 100 90 110 140 150 
			 Wirral 120 90 120 130 170 
			 Bolton 110 100 110 120 140 
			 Bury 80 50 60 70 100 
			 Manchester 100 140 140 120 240 
			 Oldham 40 40 60 40 30 
			 Rochdale 110 90 100 110 130 
			 Salford 70 110 90 80 100 
			 Stockport 120 130 60 60 120 
			 Tameside 40 30 40 80 80 
			 Trafford 70 60 40 10 100 
			 Wigan 110 180 190 170 170 
			 Barnsley 120 100 110 140 140 
			 Doncaster 100 70 70 80 100 
			 Rotherham 100 100 110 140 140 
			 Sheffield 150 150 190 190 210 
			 Bradford 180 120 200 260 310 
			 Calderdale 70 50 70 110 80 
			 Kirklees 140 110 150 140 130 
			 Leeds 150 160 170 170 240 
			 Wakefield 100 90 120 140 140 
			 Gateshead 50 60 60 100 130 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 60 70 80 70 120 
			 North Tyneside 70 60 80 90 100 
			 South Tyneside 50 30 60 60 80 
			 Sunderland 60 110 80 80 80 
			 Isles of Scilly (16)— (16)— (16)— (16)— (16)— 
			 Bath and North-east Somerset 60 30 60 70 60 
			 City of Bristol 220 160 130 230 150 
			 North Somerset 30 80 120 90 70 
			 South Gloucestershire 130 70 80 90 130 
			 Hartlepool 40 30 50 50 30 
			 Middlesbrough 60 40 50 40 60 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 30 50 50 60 40 
			 Stockton on Tees 90 70 90 100 130 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 100 90 80 130 180 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 80 90 130 110 140 
			 North-East Lincolnshire 80 70 60 60 80 
			 North Lincolnshire 110 90 60 50 70 
			 North Yorkshire 170 130 170 190 270 
			 York 110 80 70 140 100 
			 Former Bedfordshire 290 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Bedfordshire (17)— 210 80 130 130 
			 Luton (17)— 80 60 50 420 
			 Total former Bedfordshire area 290 290 140 190 550 
			   
			 Former Buckinghamshire 40 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Buckinghamshire (17)— 40 30 40 120 
			 Milton Keynes (17)— 40 60 80 80 
			 Total former Buckinghamshire area 40 80 90 110 200 
			   
			 Former Derbyshire 270 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Derbyshire (17)— 190 170 240 260 
			 Derby (17)— 50 40 70 (16)— 
			 Total former Derbyshire area 270 240 210 310 260 
			   
			 Former Dorset 70 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Dorset (17)— (16)— 90 100 100 
			 Poole (17)— 30 30 30 30 
			 Bournemouth (17)— 40 60 40 80 
			 Total former Dorset area 70 80 180 170 200 
			   
			 Former Durham 230 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Durham (17)— 220 200 280 270 
			 Darlington (17)— 10 (16)— 40 50 
			 Total former Durham area 230 230 200 320 330 
			   
			 Former East Sussex 100 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 East Sussex (17)— 100 150 120 150 
			 Brighton and Hove (17)— 40 40 50 60 
			 Total former East Sussex area 100 140 190 170 210 
			   
			 Former Hampshire 420 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Hampshire (17)— 290 310 420 520 
			 Portsmouth (17)— 40 70 60 70 
			 Southampton (17)— 50 60 80 100 
			 Total former Hampshire area 420 380 440 570 690 
			   
			 Former Leicestershire 270 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Leicestershire (17)— 80 120 150 180 
			 Leicester (17)— 70 70 130 150 
			 Rutland (17)— 10 10 (16)— 30 
			 Total former Leicestershire area 270 160 190 280 360 
			   
			 Former Staffordshire 340 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Staffordshire (17)— 250 210 290 320 
			 Stoke on Trent (17)— 70 100 150 130 
			 Total former Staffordshire area 340 330 310 430 440 
			   
			 Former Wiltshire 120 (17)— (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Wiltshire (17)— 70 70 130 120 
			 Swindon (17)— 40 50 60 50 
			 Total former Wiltshire area 120 110 120 190 170 
			   
			 Former Berkshire 120 130 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Bracknell Forest (17)— (17)— 30 50 40 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead (17)— (17)— 20 20 20 
			 West Berkshire (17)— (17)— 40 30 30 
			 Reading (17)— (17)— 20 20 60 
			 Slough (17)— (17)— 50 50 60 
			 Wokingham (17)— (17)— 50 (16)— 40 
			 Total former Berkshire area 120 130 200 170 230 
			 Former Cambridgeshire 150 120 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Cambridgeshire (17)— (17)— 120 60 90 
			 Peterborough (17)— (17)— (16)— 20 90 
			 Total former Cambridgeshire area 150 120 120 80 180 
			   
			 Former Cheshire 210 150 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Cheshire (17)— (17)— 150 180 170 
			 Halton (17)— (17)— 30 20 60 
			 Warrington (17)— (17)— 100 40 60 
			 Total former Cheshire area 210 150 270 240 290 
			   
			 Former Devon 210 250 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Devon (17)— (17)— 170 270 270 
			 Plymouth (17)— (17)— 70 110 170 
			 Torbay (17)— (17)— 40 40 60 
			 Total former Devon area 210 250 280 410 490 
			   
			 Former Essex 290 240 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Essex (17)— (17)— 180 330 480 
			 Southend on Sea (17)— (17)— 30 40 60 
			 Thurrock (17)— (17)— 20 40 60 
			 Total former Essex area 290 240 230 410 590 
			   
			 Former Hereford and Worcestershire 110 140 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Herefordshire (17)— (17)— 50 20 60 
			 Worcestershire (17)— (17)— 150 180 160 
			 Total former Hereford and Worcester area 110 140 200 200 210 
			   
			 Former Kent 260 130 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Kent (17)— (17)— 330 430 470 
			 Medway (17)— (17)— 20 60 130 
			 Total former Kent area 260 130 350 490 600 
			   
			 Former Lancashire 560 510 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Lancashire (17)— (17)— 270 370 340 
			 Blackburn with Darwen (17)— (17)— 90 70 80 
			 Blackpool (17)— (17)— 50 60 100 
			 Total former Lancashire area 560 510 400 510 520 
			   
			 Former Nottinghamshire 310 450 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Nottinghamshire (17)— (17)— 400 360 280 
			 Nottingham (17)— (17)— 80 130 130 
			 Total former Nottinghamshire area 310 450 470 480 400 
			   
			 Former Shropshire 110 130 (17)— (17)— (17)— 
			 Shropshire (17)— (17)— 120 110 100 
			 Telford and Wrekin (17)— (17)— 70 80 90 
			 Total former Shropshire area 110 130 190 180 190 
			   
			 Cornwall 100 130 290 260 250 
			 Cumbria 130 130 140 170 180 
			 Gloucestershire 70 80 100 150 130 
			 Hertfordshire 120 90 130 170 120 
			 Isle of Wight 60 40 40 40 60 
			 Lincolnshire 140 140 160 230 230 
			 Norfolk 210 160 140 260 220 
			 Northamptonshire 190 240 130 160 190 
			 Northumberland 170 140 150 130 190 
			 Oxfordshire 140 110 170 120 130 
			 Somerset 150 140 160 220 330 
			 Suffolk 220 230 210 270 240 
			 Surrey 130 130 130 180 260 
			 Warwickshire 110 110 130 140 130 
			 West Sussex 170 100 130 150 210 
			   
			 England 13,610 13,150 14,120 16,660 19,590 
		
	
	(14) Local education authorities created by local government re-organisation in 1997 and 1998 are shown under their parent authority. Data have been aggregated to give totals for the former authority areas, in order to allow comparisons between years.
	(15) All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not appear to equal the sum of their component parts, due to rounding.
	(16) Less than five.
	(17) Not applicable.

School Playing Fields

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications for permission to develop on school playing fields have been (a) submitted to her Department, (b) approved and (c) rejected since the new scrutiny arrangements were introduced in July 2001.

John Healey: holding answer 1 March 2002
	All applications to dispose, or change the use, of school playing fields received since 16 July 2001 have been scrutinised by an independent School Playing Fields Advisory Panel. The panel comprises representatives from the National Playing Fields Association, the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the education organisation Learning through Landscapes, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Local Government Association. The purpose of the panel is to advise on the extent to which applications meet the published criteria, and to recommend either acceptance or rejection.
	There have been 25 applications since 16 July 2001 to dispose of areas equal to, or larger than, a sports pitch. We are still assessing 17 of these applications and have approved the other eight, five of which are at school sites that are either closed or due for closure. Of the approved applications at the three operating schools, two will provide sports halls and a new all-weather pitch. The other approved application involves the granting of a lease as part of a Private Finance Initiative scheme to provide modern education facilities.

Television Sets

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many (a) analogue and (b) integrated digital television sets her Department has purchased in each of the last 24 months; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) integrated digital and (b) analogue television sets have been bought by her Department in each of the last 24 months; and if she will publish the guidance given to officials making decisions on television purchases.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 4 February 2002
	Information on the number of television sets purchased by my Department could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	My Department alongside other Government Departments has the ability to call off the contracts, which have been negotiated and set up by the Office of Government Commerce to purchase both analogue and integrated digital television sets.

Science, Engineering and Mathematics Students

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what initiatives the Government have in place to increase the number of students taking mathematics and physics A-level.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Mathematics and science are at the heart of our agenda to raise standards. Pupils have a statutory entitlement to study both subjects within the national curriculum. In recognition of their importance for adult and working life, we propose to keep them as 'core' subjects for 14 to 16-year-olds in the Green Paper: "14–19 extending opportunities, raising standards".
	Science Year is a key initiative to encourage young people to continue their study of science beyond the age of 16. We want young people to view science as relevant to the modern world and as the basis for rewarding careers. "Science and Engineering Ambassadors" is an initiative being developed through Science Year. Ambassadors—professionals in science, engineering, mathematics and technology—will act as role models and mentors for young people and will offer support to teachers.

Science, Engineering and Mathematics Students

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the retention rate of students (a) on engineering-based GNVQ courses and (b) on non engineering-based GNVQ courses.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The retention rate (whole length of the course) for students on engineering GNVQ courses is 78 per cent., compared with 76 per cent. for students on non-engineering GNVQ courses.

Science, Engineering and Mathematics Students

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the effect the student funding system is having upon engineering and science graduates choosing to continue into postgraduate study.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The number of home postgraduate students in science, engineering and technology rose from 69,201 in 1994–95 to 87,747 in 2000–01, an increase of 27 per cent. Recent changes to the student funding system apply to undergraduate rather than postgraduate students. The Government have already taken steps to improve the competitiveness of PhD stipends to ensure that doctoral study remains an attractive option for graduates with the minimum level for research councils' PhD stipends rising to £9,000 per year by 2003–04. The Government have also commissioned Sir Gareth Roberts to review the supply of high-level engineering and science skills.

National Training Organisations

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) National Training Organisations discharge their outstanding legal and professional obligations before winding-up and (b) adequate continuity of business is maintained in the interim before sector skills councils are established to replace them.

John Healey: Government are withdrawing National Training Organisation (NTO) recognition on 31 March 2002. A body with this status will be free to continue business after this date if its board decides. A board that decides to wind up its organisation will be subject to normal rules, usually discharged through liquidation procedures, to safeguard third party interests. Where public contracts are concerned alternative arrangements will be made for the delivery of this work by another competent body. We have agreed to provide contracts up to 31 August 2002 to ensure that essential work in the public interest will continue after NTO recognition ends and where specific funding has been requested. The Sector Skills Development Agency will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of this work from September 2002.

Drug Abuse

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations her Department has received from (a) schools, (b) local education authorities and (c) the police regarding the prevention of drug abuse in schools, since June 2001.

Ivan Lewis: Successful drug education programmes convey both knowledge and skills, particularly social skills, with the aim of enabling pupils to make informed choices. The Department for Education and Skills works very closely with schools, local education authorities and the police to ensure they are involved in the policy making process. In the last eight months officials have received correspondence from schools and parents; have worked closely with local education authorities on a drug, alcohol and tobacco education training package for teachers and have discussed drug education with the Metropolitan police and the Home Office via correspondence and at several meetings.

Literacy and Numeracy Hours

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if literacy and numeracy hours will be compulsory in schools with (a) earned autonomy and (b) exemptions related to innovation.

Ivan Lewis: There is no statutory duty on primary schools to teach the literacy hour or a daily mathematics lesson. The proposed exemptions available under (a) Earned Autonomy and (b) the Power to Innovate relate only to exemptions from statutory requirements on schools or LEAs. Therefore, the literacy hour and daily mathematics lesson cannot be subject to exemption under either of these provisions.

School Exclusions (Drugs)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations her Department has received regarding exclusions from school in connection with possession of, or dealing in, illegal drugs since June 2001.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has received a number of representations on the subject of exclusion from schools in connection with possession of, or dealing in, illegal drugs since June 2001.
	The Department's guidance on exclusion in general is set out in Circular 10/99 as amended. The document "Revised Guidance on Exclusion from School—Draft for Consultation" published on 24 January also covers the subject. Copies of both documents are in the Library.

Mobile Phone Thefts

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria are used by school authorities in determining whether to report offences involving the theft of mobile phones to the police.

Ivan Lewis: The DfES is concerned for the safety and security of school pupils and staff, and in 1997 issued guidance on school security jointly with the Home Office. This guidance, "School Security: Dealing with Troublemakers", deals with incidents, including thefts, that occur on school premises, and advises schools and local education authorities that offences of theft need to be reported to the police. The guidance does not preclude a pupil or parent reporting any such offence independently.
	Where a school's insurer lays down terms and conditions for the reporting of theft, we expect a school to meet them.
	However, we recognise that school pupils are vulnerable to theft on the way to and from school. If a mobile phone is stolen in such circumstances, it is then a matter for the victim and their parents to report it to the police. They may also wish to inform the school so that the head teacher and local education authority may be able to see if any pattern of crime is arising, and to consider the need for advising pupils and their parents of any consequent action.

Mobile Phone Thefts

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases involving the theft of mobile phones were dealt with by school authorities, without the involvement of the police, in the last two years.

Ivan Lewis: We do not collect these figures, nor would it be economic to request them from schools or local education authorities.
	The reporting of criminal incidents to the police is the responsibility of the head teacher of a school. Guidance was issued to head teachers in 1997 by the then Department for Education and Employment, jointly with the Home Office. This guidance, "School Security: Dealing with Troublemakers", advised schools and local education authorities that offences of theft need to be reported to the police.
	The procedure by which such offences are reported should be determined by discussion between schools and the police. In the case of the schools which they maintain, local education authorities also have a key role in monitoring overall security policies. But the primary responsibility for planning a school's security arrangements rests with the governing body of the school.

Timeplan

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if her Department is reviewing Timeplan's licence to operate.

Alan Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	The requirement for employment agencies to be licensed was removed by the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. I shall shortly be putting forward proposals for revised employment agency regulations that will greatly strengthen the requirements on agencies supplying teachers and others who work with vulnerable people.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Royal Commissions

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the Royal Commissions undertaken since 1978, the terms of reference and the total costs for each one.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	Four Royal Commissions have been established since 1978. These are as follows:
	Criminal Procedure [3 February 1978]
	Criminal Justice [14 March 1991]
	Long Term Care for the Elderly [17 December 1997]
	Reform of the House of Lords [ 18 February 1999].
	The terms of reference are set out in the published reports and can be found in the Library of the House.
	Details of costs are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Public Appointments

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people from Warrington, North he has appointed to non-departmental public bodies since 1997.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend has appointed no one from the Warrington area to non-departmental public bodies since 1997.

Pensions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of public sector employees are in (a) funded occupational pension schemes, (b) non-funded schemes and (c) neither.

Ian McCartney: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Pensions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the operation of section 67 of the Pensions Act 1995; and whether this will fall within the scope of the Pickering Review.

Ian McCartney: The Pickering Simplification Review is a comprehensive re-evaluation of private pensions legislation, and section 67 of the Pensions Act 1995 is included in the report's remit. The review has held an extensive consultation exercise, which has generated a considerable number of submissions. These submissions have highlighted a number of areas of pensions law, including section 67 of the Pensions Act 1995.

Pensions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many retirement pensioners are resident abroad, broken down separately for each country with more than five per cent. of the total, and for the remainder collectively; and if he will indicate for each country separately whether a reciprocal payment agreement is in place.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is in the table. There are reciprocal agreements with Spain, Republic of Ireland and the USA, as well as some countries included in "Other" in the table.
	
		Number of people in receipt of retirement pension overseas in each country with more than five per cent. of the total at 30 September 2001 -- thousand
		
			 Country RP recipients 
		
		
			 Total 874.0 
			 Australia 223.0 
			 Canada 142.5 
			 Republic of Ireland 89.6 
			 Spain 45.6 
			 USA 113.8 
			 Other 259.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures exclude Northern Ireland and Channel Islands cases.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and are shown in thousands.
	3. Based on a 5 per cent. sample from the Pension Strategy Computer System at 30 September 2001.

SERPS (Publicity)

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what further plans he has to publicise the rule changes to inherited SERPS.

Ian McCartney: We have taken a series of steps to ensure people are made aware of the remedial measures we have taken to rectify the problems created by the failure to publicise adequately the 1986 legislative changes to Inherited SERPS.
	These measures, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced to the House on 29 November 2000, and which subsequently became law on 20 March 2001, were: to postpone any change to the rules on inherited SERPS until October this year; ensure existing pensioners, and people due to reach state pension age before this October were not affected by the change; and phase the reduction for people within 10 years of state pension age—allowing them time to plan ahead.
	During the course of last year, the Department wrote to all existing pensioners, and those whose state pension age falls before 5 October 2002 to reassure them that, in the event of their death, the new rules on Inherited SERPS will not affect their spouses.
	We are now going further to ensure that people understand the changes. From 11 March, the Department will start writing to some 5½ million people within 10 years of state pension age—those who, under the new rules, can pass on between a maximum of 90 per cent. and 60 per cent. of their SERPS to a surviving spouse.
	The letter, and the accompanying leaflet, will not only explain how the changes may affect them, but will also give them the opportunity to request an estimate of the SERPS they can pass on, and impartial information on financial planning.
	In addition, from August this year, we will run a media campaign to further disseminate information on the changes to the public at large.
	We have taken action to ensure that the Department's staff are aware of the new rules, and the Department will also provide a dedicated helpline 0845 600 6116 or textphone 0845 602 1913 to answer further queries and provide information to members of the public.

Fraud and Error

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the proportion of claims for the children's premium in income support and jobseeker's allowance which have been (a) fraudulent and (b) incorrect.

Ian McCartney: pursuant to his reply, 4 February 2002, c. 757W
	There is not a "children's premium" in income support or jobseeker's allowance. People claiming either benefit may claim for dependent members of their household. The latest information on the levels of fraud and error from claiming incorrectly for the number and type of dependents is in the report "Fraud and Error in Claims for Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance from April 2000 to March 2001" a copy of which is available in the Library. However, it is not possible to disaggregate the number of cases in which fraud and error is attributable solely to incorrect claims for dependent children.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Volunteers

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many members of his staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: A survey of Cabinet Office staff in 2001 indicated that at least 4.7 per cent. of staff undertook a wide range of voluntary activities. Records of special paid leave are not held centrally, however, and it is therefore not possible to say how many applications for special paid leave were specifically for volunteering.
	Cabinet Office has always supported the civil service tradition of allowing both paid and unpaid leave for voluntary public duties, and the Department's provisions allow staff the opportunity to do voluntary work of any kind on at least one day a year without loss of pay.

Civil Servants

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister further to his answer of 7 February 2002, Official Report, column 1130W, on civil service entrants, what is being done to publicise the fast stream development programme to students at institutions of higher education other than Oxford and Cambridge.

Christopher Leslie: Action taken to publicise the fast stream development programme to students at universities other than Oxford and Cambridge has included the following:
	(i) the Cabinet Office Outreach Officer has given careers presentations to promote and raise awareness of the fast stream to ethnic, cultural and religious societies at the following universities: York, Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Leeds Metropolitan, University of Central England and Aston;
	(ii) serving fast streamers gave career presentations at 44 other universities throughout the UK in 2001;
	(iii) of 60 undergraduates participating in the 2001 summer development programme, which provides a six-eight week work placement, and training at the civil service college, 55 came from 27 other universities other than Oxford and Cambridge;
	(iv) 26 of the undergraduates who participated in the 2001–02 winter training course at the civil service college came from universities other than Oxford and Cambridge;
	(v) a group of 24 disabled undergraduates, none of them from Oxford and Cambridge universities, participated in "Dunchester's Millions", a civil service policy game organised with Workable in November 2001. In the last 12 months this training and awareness activity has also been facilitated at three other universities;
	(vi) 23 disabled undergraduates from other universities accepted work placements in the civil service over the summer vacation 2001. A similar programme in conjunction with the charity Workable will run again this summer.
	(vii) career advisers from 38 other universities are scheduled to attend the civil service selection board as observers of the fast stream recruitment process between February and May this year as part of our strategy for raising awareness.

Civil Servants

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister at which graduate fairs the fast stream development programme was publicised last year.

Christopher Leslie: The fast stream development programme was publicised last year at the following graduate recruitment careers fairs:
	
		
			 Fair Date (2001) Student visitors 
		
		
			 University of Central Lancashire Graduate Fair 6 June 800 
			 Gradunet Virtual Fair 14 June 200 
			 University of Newcastle Careers Fair 18 June 1,400 
			 University of Manchester and UMIST Graduate Fair 21 June 3,000 
			 University of Birmingham Graduate Fair 22 and 23 June 8,362 
			 University of London Careers Service Recruitment Fair 27 and 28 June 11,527 
			 Diversity UK—Ethnic Minority Fair, London 31 July and 1 August 1,500 
			 Manchester Diversity Fair 17 October 1,500 
			 Sheffield Universities Recruitment Fairs 24 October 4,500 
			 University of St. Andrews Graduate Fair, Fife 24 October 850 
			 University of Aberdeen Recruitment Fair 1 November 800 
			 University of Teesside's Careers Fair 2 November 950 
			 ACFF Diversity Fair, London 13 November 2,200 
			 University of Dundee Graduate Fair 14 November 900 
			 Napier University Recruitment Fair, Edinburgh 14 November 830 
			 University of Birmingham Graduate Fair 6 and 7 November 5,157 
			 University of Manchester and UMIST Graduate Fair 13 and 14 November 2,729 
			 University of London Careers Service Recruitment Fair 5 and 6 December 7,000

Civil Servants

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what is being done to make the senior civil service more representative of the population; and how this is publicised across Government.

Christopher Leslie: The latest figures for October 2001 released on 21 February show that the civil service is making progress on tackling under-representation at senior levels:
	25.3 per cent. of the senior civil service are women, up from 17.8 per cent. in 1998. The target for 2004–05 is 35 per cent.
	21.2 per cent. of those in the top 600 posts are women, up from 12.7 per cent. in 1998. The target for 2004–05 is 25 per cent.
	1 2.3 per cent. of staff at senior civil service level are from a minority ethnic background, up from 1.6 per cent. in 1998. The target for 2004–05 is 3.2 per cent.
	1 1.8 per cent. of staff at senior civil service level have a disability, up from 1.5 per cent. in 1998. The target for 2004–05 is 3 per cent.
	1 These figures exclude data on ethnicity and disability in MOD.
	Individual Departments and agencies have specific initiatives in place to tackle under-representation at senior levels. These are supported by a number of central initiatives, all of which are publicised widely across Government.
	In June 2001, the Cabinet Office launched the Elevator Partnerships, as a pilot informal mentoring scheme for women. The aim of the scheme is partnership between 50 senior women and 50 junior women who appear to be static in career terms, with the aim of encouraging career confidence.
	All Departments were given the opportunity to participate in the pilot. An evaluation of the pilot in the summer will be used to encourage Departments to set up similar schemes.
	The Cabinet Office has launched "Pathways", a central development programme targeted at minority ethnic staff with the potential to rise to senior levels. There is an annual trawl across all Departments for participants and there is a page dedicated to the scheme on the civil service website.
	There is also an annual bursary scheme for disabled civil servants who have the potential to reach a senior management position (at least Grade 7) in the civil service. The scheme provides access and funding for training opportunities and personal development. Applications are invited annually through advertisements in Government publications.

Working Conditions and Practices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people are employed in his Department on a job share contract; and what percentage of vacant positions was advertised on this basis in the last 12 months.

Christopher Leslie: The Cabinet Office currently employs 12 members of staff on a job share contract.
	The Cabinet Office is committed to supporting part-time working, job sharing and other forms of alternative working patterns. The flexibility of the pattern is decided in conjunction with local management to suit an individual's need and the needs of their work.
	Information on the percentage of vacant positions opened up to job shares is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, since September 2001 it has been my Department's policy that all vacant posts will normally be open to any alternative working pattern, including part-timers and job sharers. The majority of posts advertised in this period will, therefore, have been open to job sharers.

Public Appointments

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list those employees, executives and directors of (a) Tesco, (b) J. Sainsbury, (c) Safeway, (d) Asda and (e) other food retailers who have been appointed to advisory and other roles on bodies in receipt of public funds since May 1997; and if he will list the terms of each such appointment.

Christopher Leslie: Information on the career history of people appointed to non-departmental public bodies, task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the names of the chairs of public bodies are listed in the annual Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies".
	The names of the chairs of task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews are listed in the "Report on Task Forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews". Four of these reports have so far been published in January 2000, July 2000, December 2000 and October 2001. The report published in January 2000 provided information and details between May 1997 and October 1999.
	Copies of "Public Bodies" and of the "Reports on Task Forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews" have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Car Licences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars there were with current licences in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

John Reid: Responsibility for this subject has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and is therefore no longer a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Ministerial Boxes

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by what means ministerial boxes are conveyed from private offices in his Department to (a) himself and (b) his fellow Ministers; how frequently and at what expense private courier firms are employed for such a task; and which courier firms have been used for such duties.

John Reid: Ministerial boxes originating from the NIO are transported to the Secretary of State's and Ministers' homes either by Government car or by a service provided by the Royal Mail.
	Occasionally, these boxes are transported to the Secretary of State and Ministers' constituencies by a private courier firm using competitive rates. For security reasons, it would not be appropriate to disclose the name of the private courier firm.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Sport England

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the notes taken by her officials at the meeting on 14 June 2001 between the chairman of Sport England and the Minister for Sport.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 4 March 2002
	It is not my Department's practice to publish internal records of meetings. In compiling its report on the Sport England accounts, the National Audit Office has had full access to my Department's papers on this matter.

Sport England

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  on what date the Minister for Sport was informed of Mr. Derek Casey's resignation as chief executive of Sport England;
	(2)  on what dates she was informed (a) that Mr. Derek Casey had resigned as chief executive of Sport England and (b) of the value of the severance package.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 4 March 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Sport and I were informed on 14 June that Derek Casey agreed to resign. We were informed of the value of the severance package agreed by Sport England on 3 August.

Sport England

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the (a) date and (b) subject of (i) meetings and (ii) telephone calls between the Minister for Sport and (A) the chief executive of Sport England and (B) the chairman of Sport England, between 1 June and 14 June 2001.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The only meeting which the Minister for Sport held with either the chief executive of Sport England or the chairman was on 14 June. The Minister set out his draft plans for a new strategic body for sport. At that meeting, Mr. Casey announced that he felt it important for a new person to take on the long-term task of building the new structures, and offered his resignation from his position as chief executive of Sport England.
	There is no record of any telephone calls between the Minister and the chairman or chief executive of Sport England between 1 June and 14 June 2001.

Sport England

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the date of the events, other than meetings, at which the Minister for Sport and the chief executive of Sport England, were both in attendance, between 1 June and 14 June 2001.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 4 March 2002
	There were none.

Sport England

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will publish the correspondence between the Minister for Sport and the chairman of Sport England in which the resignation of Mr. Derek Casey as chief executive of Sport England was referred to;
	(2)  if she will publish correspondence between the Minister for Sport and the chief executive of Sport England between 1 June and 14 June 2001;
	(3)  if she will publish the correspondence between the Minister for Sport and (a) Mr. Derek Casey and (b) Mr. Trevor Brooking regarding the resignation of Mr. Casey from his position as chief executive of Sport England, including Mr. Casey's resignation letter.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 4 March 2002
	There has been no correspondence between myself, the Minister of State, the chairman and the former chief executive of Sport England on the subject of Derek Casey's resignation.

Official Visits

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the official visits to (a) Paris and (b) Brussels made by each Minister in her Department in 2001 and the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in her Department on the choice of mode of travel for such visits.

Richard Caborn: The information you requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Date  Minister  City Mode of transport  Purpose 
		
		
			 25–26 January 2001 Minister for the Arts Paris Rail Opening of John Soane exhibition "La Reve de L'Architecte" 
			 1–2 July 2001 Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting Brussels Rail EU Presidency Tourism Summit 
			 30–31 October 2001 Minister of State for the Arts Paris Air UNESCO World Heritage Committee elections 
			 5 November 2001 Minister of State for the Arts Brussels Air-out Rail-return EU Council of Ministers meeting on Culture and Audiovisual matters 
			 12 November 2001 Minister of State for Sport Brussels Air EU Ministerial Conference on Sport 
		
	
	All travel is made in line with the guidance set out in Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code and the accompanying guidance document "Travel by Ministers" using the most efficient and cost effective mode of transport and bearing in mind security considerations.

Official Visits

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the official visits within the UK outside London made by each Minister in her Department in 2001, giving for each (a) the origin and destination and (b) the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in her Department on choice of mode of travel for official visits.

Richard Caborn: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Ministers regularly travel throughout the UK in the course of their duties and all travel is made in line with the guidance set out in Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code and the accompanying guidance document Travel by Ministers using the most efficient and cost effective mode of transport and bearing in mind security considerations.

Museums

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Government funding has been made available in each of the last five years for museums in (a) London, (b) the South East, (c) Birmingham, (d) the West Midlands and (e) England; what her projections are for the next three years; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My Department's grant funding to its 20 sponsored museums and galleries in England and their branch museums is shown in the table.
	
		Table 1: Allocation of grant-in-aid to DCMS sponsored museums and galleries -- £ million
		
			 Region 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 England 206 203 219 229 246 268 275 
			 London 184 185 197 205 218 238 243 
			 South East — — — — — — — 
			 Birmingham — — — — — — — 
			 West Midlands — — — — — — — 
		
	
	My Department does not provide core funding for other museums, but supports the wider museum sector in England through Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries.
	Following the creation of the Designated Museums Challenge Fund (DMCF) in 1999 Resource and its predecessor the Museums and Galleries Commission have made the following awards of non-core funding to museums with pre-eminent collections across England:
	
		Table 2: Non-core support for regional museums via Resource -- £ million
		
			 Region 1999–2002 
		
		
			 England 15.0 
			 London 2.4 
			 South East 1.6 
			 Birmingham 0.6 
			 West Midlands(18) 0.9 
		
	
	(18) Excluding Birmingham
	In the Government Spending Review 2000 Resource was allocated an additional £10 million per year to support regional collections. This will now be used to implement the proposals set out in the report of the Regional Museums Task Force "Renaissance in the Regions".

Royal Parks Police

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the recommendations made on the Royal Parks Police by Tony Speed and Dan Foley; and when changes will be implemented;
	(2)  if she will list the retirement ages and conditions of retirement of (a) former police officers serving in the Royal Parks Police and (b) officers of the Royal Parks Police who have not served in the police;
	(3)  how many retired police officers receiving a police pension are fully employed by the Royal Parks Police;
	(4)  when the pay rise, due in September 2001, for the Royal Parks Police will be implemented; and if the pay will be backdated.

Kim Howells: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Responsibility for the subject of these questions have been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, William Weston. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
	Letter from Sandra Smith to Mrs. Cheryl Gillan, dated 4 March 2002
	I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to Parliamentary Questions concerning the Royal Parks Constabulary because these are operational matters for which the Royal Parks Agency is responsible.
	Most of the recommendations of the Speed Report have been implemented. We are currently discussing with the Metropolitan Police Service the option that the Royal Parks Police should become a ring-fenced operational command unit of the Metropolitan Police Service.
	The normal retirement age for officers of the Royal Parks Constabulary, regardless of previous police service, is aged 60. The only exception is for staff in post before 1 January 1994 who have completed less than 20 years service at the age of 60: they have a right to stay on until they have either completed 20 years service or reached the age of 65, whichever is the sooner.
	The Agency is not required to hold records of how many serving RPC officers are retired from other police services and receiving a pension from them.
	The Department are considering the Agency's pay remit, and as soon as they have agreed it we will begin negotiating this year's pay settlement. Whatever is agreed will be backdated to 1 September 2001.

New Millennium Experience Company

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 592W, for what reason ownership of the sculpture did not accrue to NMEC.

Tessa Jowell: In common with other sculptures at the dome site, NMEC paid only for construction and installation in order to keep the cost affordable. Ownership rights remain with Anthony Gormley, therefore. He has, however, made it clear that he wishes the sculpture to remain on the site. The necessary permissions are being pursued to make this happen.

Ice Sports (Gloucestershire)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to site new ice sports facilities in Gloucestershire; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The provision of ice sports facilities is a matter for local authorities to consider. Local authorities are best placed to determine the level of provision required in the light of local needs and the appropriate mixture of public and private provision.
	The Government support the provision of sport and leisure facilities through various means including funding from the Sports Lottery Fund, administered by Sport England. It is for local authorities to apply for this funding. No applications have been received for any new ice sports facilities in Gloucestershire.
	Sport England have informed us there are no plans for the provision of an ice sports facility in Gloucestershire. Sport England's regional strategy report in 1995 recognised the need for new ice sport facilities in the south-west. As ice rinks are relatively expensive to build, any applications for lottery funding would be considered in the context of Sport England's priorities.

Sports Training

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received concerning funding for sports training for those aged 16 to 18 years; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Following a recommendation in the March 2001 Government's Plan for Sport, a review of the role that further and higher education can play in the delivery of sport was undertaken by a national advisory group. The group reported back to Ministers in December 2001, and funding issues were covered in its conclusions and recommendations. The Government are currently consulting on the report, and expects to respond to it in April this year.

Sports Training

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance is provided by the Government for sports training for those aged 16 to 18 years.

Richard Caborn: The Learning and Skills Act 2000 imposes a duty on the Learning and Skills Council to secure provision of organised leisure time activities connected with the training and education of young people aged 16–18. Funds are allocated to learning providers for this purpose.

Sports Clubs

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 409W, on sports clubs, if she will list those sports representative bodies which provided evidence that the majority of local authorities grant 100 per cent. rate relief.

Richard Caborn: In my answer of 17 January 2002, Official Report, column 472–73W, to the hon. Member, I stated that the majority of local authorities grant rate relief of up to 100 per cent. to local amateur sports clubs. That was not intended to imply that the majority of such clubs receive rate relief at 100 per cent.—simply that the majority of local authorities grant some measure of discretionary relief, and that the majority of amateur clubs benefit from this in some degree.
	That statement was based on informal discussions with Sport England and the Central Council for Physical Recreation. As I informed the hon. Member in my answer of 13 February, no detailed figures exist.

Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were employed in a press or public relations function in her Department on 1 January in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002.

Kim Howells: The number of press officers and publicity officers in my Department at 1 January in each of the last six years was as follows:
	
		
			 Date Press officers Publicity officers 
		
		
			 1997 8 4 
			 1998 19 14 
			 1999 8 4 
			 2000 9 25 
			 2001 8 24 
			 2002 8 25 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Includes two officers working part-time
	2. Includes one officer working part-time

Listed Places of Worship Scheme

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to include church organs as part of the fabric of the building for the purposes of the listed places of worship scheme.

Kim Howells: holding answer 1 March 2002
	There are no plans to include church organs in the list of eligible criteria for the listed places of worship scheme. In devising a scheme that is as simple and straightforward as possible to operate, the Government have kept as close as possible to the existing VAT law for listed building alterations, so that if and when a reduced rate is introduced, its scope will mirror as nearly as possible that of the grant scheme.

Radio Licences (Religious Broadcasters)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what basis radio licences are allocated to religious broadcasters.

Kim Howells: The Radio Authority, which licences all independent radio services in the UK, is given discretion under the Broadcasting Act 1990 to award local analogue, short-term restricted service, satellite and cable licences to religious bodies.
	Religious bodies may apply to the Radio Authority for any of these licences. The Radio Authority will assess such applications against its criteria, as set out in its Code on News and Current Affairs and Programming, and its guidelines on ownership, particularly in respect of compliance with the authority's religious broadcasting guidelines, and ensuring spectrum is available for the service before issuing a licence.

United Christian Broadcasters

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations have been received in support of the removal of existing prohibitions on United Christian broadcasters.

Kim Howells: We have received over a long period a large number of representations supporting the removal of all prohibitions on ownership of broadcasting licences by religious organisations, including those in support of United Christian Broadcasters. Following my Department's recent consultation on media ownership rules, we received over 8,000 responses from individuals supporting the lifting of the current restrictions. We will announce our decisions on this issue in the draft Communications Bill which we expect to publish in the spring.

Lottery Projects

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list for the end of each financial year from establishment of the fund to the latest date for which figures are available, the amounts of lottery money allocated to projects but not yet transferred by (a) the New Opportunities Fund, (b) the Heritage Lottery Fund, (c) the Millennium Commission, (d) UK Sport, (e) Sport England, (f) the Community Fund, (g) the Arts Council of England and (h) the Film Council.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 25 January 2002
	The following table show the amount committed, but not paid out, to project operators, by each of the lottery distributors mentioned in the hon. Gentleman's question at 31 March in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive. This information is not available prior to 1998.
	
		Outstanding commitments at 31 March each year -- £
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 New Opportunities Fund 0 221,126,000 327,734,699 560,355,483 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 767,635,904 864,789,300 725,425,525 984,208,744 
			 Millennium Commission 1,517,898,000 1,195,673,000 666,405,000 375,100,000 
			 UK Sport 0 0 2,154,241 71,612,785 
			 Sport England 464,228,095 503,767,997 549,508,000 638,145,000 
			 Community Fund 476,130,613 510,198,796 616,534,332 649,184,443 
			 Arts Council of England 456,527,849 380,842,709 307,865,661 272,902,320 
			 Film Council 0 0 9,361,266 31,964,901

Golden Jubilee

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what meetings have taken place to discuss sponsorship of events related to the Golden Jubilee celebrations; which (a) members of the Government, (b) companies, (c) organisations and (d) individuals took part; and what the date was of each meeting;
	(2)  if she will list the (a) companies, (b) organisations and (c) individuals who have made donations to the Golden Jubilee project; and what (i) financial and (ii) other donations they each have made;
	(3)  which (a) companies, (b) organisations and (c) individuals have been approached with a view to making donations to fund this year's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Tessa Jowell: The national events in central London over Jubilee Weekend are being organised by The Queen's Golden Jubilee Weekend Trust which was set up independently of Government. The trust is chaired by Lord Sterling who has responsibility for private sector fundraising. He has approached a number of companies, organisations and individuals about the possibility of their making a contribution. No member of the Government has been involved in that process. Details of the companies that have made donations were released to the press by Lord Sterling on 22 February 2002.

Television Licensing Authority

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  under what powers Television Licensing Authority officers visit households seeking permission to enter those premises;
	(2)  whether it is the policy of the Television Licensing Authority to visit the homes of people who do not have television sets.

Kim Howells: The BBC, as Television Licensing Authority, contracts the day to day administration and enforcement of the licensing system to its agent, TV Licensing (TVL). While there is clearly no benefit in visiting an address if it is known that there is no television receiver there, this information is not always available without a visit. I understand that, in the past, a declaration that no television was in use at an address was normally accepted by TV Licensing as proof of the matter, but that a significant proportion of such declarations turn out to be false. The BBC has indicated that its current policy is therefore that TV Licensing should visit all addresses in respect of which it has received a declaration that no television is in use.
	TV Licensing officials may enter a person's home only with their consent or if authorised to do so by a warrant issued by a magistrate. Under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 (as amended), in order to issue such a warrant a magistrate must be satisfied, by information provided on oath, that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under the Act has been or is being committed.

Culture Online

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many users she expects the Culture Online project to have (a) from its launch and (b) in each year until 2010;
	(2)  if she will give the full cost and a breakdown of the costs of setting up the Culture Online project; and what is the projected cost for future financial years for which figures are available;
	(3)  when Culture Online will be launched; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  which organisations and companies have participated in the Culture Online project; and what their (a) financial and (b) other contributions have been.

Kim Howells: £5 million was allocated to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the 2000 spending review to allow initial development of the project, including the creation of a business case to support continued investment in Culture Online; the cost of developing our proposals for Culture Online so far is £1,833,555.
	We are currently considering a number of alternative options for Culture Online and we hope to make an announcement in the near future. This will include details of any further funding available for Culture Online and what user groups Culture Online will target.
	We have involved a large number of cultural educational and ICT organisations in the development of Culture Online. Details of those involved in the Culture Online steering group and Talent Bank are included in the Vision report, which was placed in the Libraries of the House. None of these organisations or companies has made financial contributions to Culture Online.

Inland Revenue

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the (a) number, (b) type and (c) value of items that have been accepted by the Inland Revenue in lieu of tax (i) since May 1997 to the most recent date for which figures are available and (ii) between May 1990 and April 1997.

Kim Howells: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Year  Number Type Value (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 18 Archives, paintings, musical clock, manuscript, silver wine set, chattels, Celtic miniature shields 6,892,500 
			 1998–99 29 9th century stone cross, archives, drawings, Handel memorabilia, Phaeton carriage, needlework casket, illuminated manuscript, watercolours, Delft pottery, leather coffer, judicial robe, paintings 25,992,104 
			 1999–2000 13 Military medals, sculpture, antiquities, archive, paintings, silverware, pastel portraits 2,558,740 
			 2000–01 24 Paintings, drawings, furniture, silverware, Limoges enamels, archives, medieval books, sculptures, communion set, ivory mirror back, ceramics, land 16,020,063 
			 1990–91 15 Paintings, drawings, musical instruments, furniture, stamps 1,353,002 
			 1991–92 13 Porcelain, paintings, motor car, motorcycle, silverware, chattels, sporting memorabilia 3,423,446 
			 1992–93 16 Marble busts, chattels paintings, sculpture, silver gilt cup and cover, archive, model gun ship, 17th and 18th century glass, land 6,382,475 
			 1993–94 18 17th and 18th century glass, two surrealist hats, paintings, manuscript, race cup, furniture, sketchbooks, Joseph Hayden Autograph, land 3,115,000

Free Museum Entry

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what impact free museum entry in London has had on admission numbers.

Kim Howells: There has been a 76 per cent. increase in visitors on average at those museums and galleries in London which previously charged for admission, in the two months following the introduction of free entry compared with the same period in 2000–01. This is a tremendous endorsement of the Government's free access policy.

Free Museum Entry

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals are being considered to expand the programme of free museum entry across the United Kingdom.

Kim Howells: There are no plans to extend free entry to museums beyond free entry to the permanent collections of the main museums and galleries in England to which the Government are committed to ensure universal free access. Entry to the national museums in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for their devolved Administrations.

Digital Television

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which television channels are subject to a must-carry requirement on (a) digital satellite, (b) digital terrestrial and (c) digital cable.

Kim Howells: No television channels are, in practice, subject to a must-carry requirement.
	For satellite, access is a matter of commercial negotiation, and is regulated by Oftel under the Advanced Television Services Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/3151), as amended by SI 1996/3197.
	In the case of digital services carried by cable, the ITC can, under section 78A of the Broadcasting Act 1990 (as amended), require digital local delivery services to carry public service television channels; but has not considered it appropriate to do so.
	In the case of digital terrestrial television, provision exists in section 28 of the 1996 Act, and through the allocation of radio spectrum by the Secretary of State under section 65 of the 1990 Act and section 6 of the 1996 Act, by which sufficient space is reserved on multiplexes for the carriage of public service channels.

Digital Television

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what her Department's timetable is for the upgrading of digital television transmitters to widen the distribution of digital television services;
	(2)  when the Government plan to allow the upgrading of transmitters in west Yorkshire.

Kim Howells: The Digital Television Action Plan, issued on 20 December, sets out a series of actions, with intended completion dates, for Government and stakeholders collectively to determine and agree a target level of coverage for digital terrestrial television and to produce a plan to achieve this. We commenced a three-month consultation on 11 December to inform the spectrum planning process. It is for the digital broadcasters to determine proposals to develop the digital terrestrial transmission network, in consultation with the Independent Television Commission and the Radiocommunications Agency.

English Tourism Council

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to give the English Tourism Council a marketing budget in order to market England; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We are considering how to provide stronger co-ordination of the promotion and marketing of England's tourism assets.

Websites

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) unique visitors and (b) page impressions have been received by (i) the DCMS website and (ii) the Golden Jubilee website.

Kim Howells: From February 2001 to February 2002, the DCMS website received (a) 312,150 unique visitors, and (b) 4,351,594 page impressions.
	Since its launch in June 2001 up to February 2002, the Golden Jubilee website received (a) 155,653 unique visitors and (b) 6,131,517 page impressions.

Job Advertisements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the job advertisements placed by her Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case.

Kim Howells: Details and costs of the job advertisements placed by my Department in the last 12 months are shown in the table:
	
		
			 Job Advertisements £ 
		
		
			 March 2001  
			 Collection Assistant (Government Art Collection)  
			 Museums Association Journal 1,760 
			   
			 April 2000  
			 Assistant Librarian  
			 Library Association Journal 806 
			 June 2001  
			 Head of News  
			 Guardian 4,839 
			   
			 October 2001  
			 Management Opportunities Recruitment Scheme  
			 Guardian  
			 Evening Standard  
			 Ethnic Media Group 10,386 
			   
			 November 2001  
			 Director of Strategy and Communications  
			 Times/Sunday Times  
			 Guardian  
			 Ethnic Media Group 20,540 
			   
			 January 2002  
			 Administration Opportunities Recruitment Scheme  
			 Evening Standard  
			 Metro 4,413

Publications

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many publications her Department has published in each of the past seven years; if she will list those publications; what the total cost of each publication was; what the total production run for each publication was; what the total distribution for each publication was; how many of those publications are available for download from her Department's website; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The publications issued by my Department in the last seven years are listed and those published since 1999 are available electronically on the Department's website.
	Information on the total cost, the production run and the total distribution run of each document could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. I have, however, included the overall yearly figures spent on publications since 1998 to 1999—the period for which information is available electronically.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1998–99 288,100 
			 1999–2000 448,238 
			 2000–01 448,140 
			 2001–02 (19)182,993 
		
	
	(19) To date
	1995–96
	A Candidate's Guide booklet
	A Board Member's Guide
	Library and Information Matters 1994
	Sports White Paper
	Film policy document
	Heritage Green Paper
	Building the Audience
	Digital TV consultation document
	Draft BBC Charter and Agreement
	Press Privacy White Paper
	GAC Catalogue
	Reviewing Committee annual report 1995–96
	Sport Raising the Game reprint
	Treasure Trove annual report 1994–95
	Public Lending Right annual report
	DNH annual report 1995
	Conservation Unit annual report
	What Listing Means
	Portable Antiquities Booklet
	Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds
	Benchmarking for the Small Hotel sector
	Whitehall Urban Design Guidelines
	Caring for Historic Buildings booklet
	1996–97
	The Bannister report
	BBC Charter booklet
	Sport: Raising the Game Part 2
	Museums Review
	Museum Education report
	Public Libraries Review
	Competing with the Best booklet
	Export of Works of Art 1995–96
	Supporting the Voluntary Sector
	People Taking Part
	National Lottery report
	Public Lending Right report 1995–96
	Legal Deposit consultation paper
	The Deakin report
	Treasure Trove annual report 1995–96
	DNH annual report 1996
	Setting the Level of the TV Licence Fee
	Hotels: The Consumer View—reprint
	Export Licensing Notice Youth Volunteering Development Grants, Application Forms and Guidelines
	Tourism Strategy document
	It Could Be Your Good Cause
	Youth Volunteering Development Grants Scheme
	Youth Challenge document
	Health and Safety Guide
	Artsmark
	ICT document
	The First Five Years
	National Lottery leaflet
	1997–98
	National Lottery White Paper and popular version
	Export of Works of Art 1996–97
	A Guide to the Department
	Government response to Select Committee Report on BBC and Future of Broadcasting
	Interfaith millennium leaflet
	What Listing Means
	GAC leaflet
	Government response to Library and Information Commission
	DCMS annual report 1998
	Response to millennium dome select committee
	Sustainable Tourism report
	Focus on Change report
	Tourism Forum Bulletin
	Treasure Trove annual report 1996–97
	Children's Play leaflet
	Library and Information Matters 1997–98
	DCMS/Wolfson annual report
	Lottery leaflet 1998
	NOF consultation paper
	Museum Education report
	Treasure Act Code of Practice
	Underwater Archaeology poster and leaflet
	Government Art Collection: Tel Aviv catalogue
	National Lottery White Paper
	Film Policy Review Group report
	UK presidency leaflet and booklet
	Poetry and the presidency booklet
	1998–99
	The Eyre Review
	Export of Works of Art 1997–98
	Response to the select committee on the multimedia revolution
	Creative Industries mapping document
	DCMS annual report 1998
	Commonwealth and Museums report
	Digital Convergence Green Paper
	Portable Antiquities annual report
	Building a Global Audience
	Government response to the LIC report
	DCMS/Wolfson fund annual report 1997–98
	Children's Play leaflet
	National lottery information leaflet
	New Opportunities Fund consultation document
	Interfaith millennium leaflet reprint
	Museums in the Learning Age Sustainable
	Tourism document
	Tomorrow's Tourism strategy report
	1999–2000
	Government Art Collection leaflet
	Export of Works of Art 1998–99
	Government Art Collection Conditions of Loan booklet
	Portable Antiquities annual report
	World Heritage Sites
	Treasure annual report
	Finding Our Past leaflet
	Building a Global Audience
	The Future Funding of the BBC
	Review of the BBC's financial projections
	Creative Industries—report on the creative industries finance conference
	Creative Industries—Exports: Our Hidden Potential
	Creative Industries—Internet inquiry: Snapshot of a rolling wave
	Creative Industries—Your Creative Future
	Creative Industries—UK Television Exports inquiry
	DCMS annual report 1999
	Local Cultural Strategies
	PAT 10—Policy Action Team 10: report to the social exclusion unit
	A Sporting Future For All
	Libraries for All: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries
	The White Book—Option Appraisal of Expenditure Decision: A Guide for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its Sponsored Bodies
	Consumers Call the Tune—The Impact of New Technologies on the Music Industry
	Report on the DCMS/Wolfson Fund 1998–99
	Libraries and the Regions—A discussion paper
	Appraisal of annual library plans 1999
	British Library review
	Regional Consortium leaflet
	Efficiency and Effectiveness of Government-sponsored Museums and Galleries
	Report of the Tourism Consumer Group
	Guidance on Disposals of Historic Buildings
	2000–01
	Treasure annual report
	Vacant Plinth Advisory Panel report
	Broadcasting Command Paper
	Review of the Transparency of the BBC
	Creative Industries Finance booklet
	DCMS annual report 2000
	Learning Power of Museums
	Government Art Collection—Conditions of Loan Booklet
	Public Appointments Guidance
	Tax Relief for Charities Booklet
	Music Industry report
	Library Standard report
	Coalfields and the lottery report
	Museums Education report
	Museums Social Inclusion report
	New Opportunities Fund consultation paper
	Better Public Buildings
	A Sporting Future for All
	Tourism Summit leaflet
	Creative Industries mapping document 2001
	DCMS Recruitment booklet
	The Government's Plan for Sport
	Culture and Creativity
	Local Cultural Strategies
	Music Industries Document: Consumers Call the Tune
	Marching into the Millennium
	2001/02
	Portable Antiquities annual report
	A Vision for Culture online
	London Open House leaflet
	Banking on a Hit report
	Cricket Disorder report
	Operation of the National Lottery—select committee response
	Staging International Sports Events—select committee response
	Tourism—the Hidden Giant and Foot and Mouth—select committee response
	Summer Supplementary Estimates
	Lottery Achievements—The first seven years
	A Force for our Future—The Government Statement on the Historic Environment
	Library and Information Matters—report
	DCMS Publicity Guidelines
	DCMS Event Guidelines
	Report of the Gambling Review Body
	Digital TV—Information for Landlords
	CIEPAG—Achievements leaflet
	Media Ownership Rules consultation paper
	Winter Supplementary Estimates
	Viewers Panel report
	English National Stadium Review
	Public Appointments registration form
	Reappointments declarations form
	Public Reappointments booklet
	DCMS Recruitment literature reprint
	Audio Visual Industries Training Group Report
	Honours Guidance Binder
	Equal Opportunities document reprint
	DCMS Identity Guidelines
	Communications White Paper—select committee response
	Biennial Conservation report
	Creative Industries Finance Conference report
	Export of Works of Art 2000–01.

Tobacco Sponsorship (Darts)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the outcome has been of the Government Task Force set up to help sports find alternative sources of revenue to replace tobacco sponsorship, with particular reference to darts; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Tobacco Task Force last met in October 1999. Following that meeting it was agreed that the task force had completed its initial work of identifying the needs of sports affected by the ban on tobacco sponsorship. Those sports included in the task force confirmed that it was too soon to be looking to replace existing contracts, and that the situation should be reviewed before the expiry of current contracts. We have been in contact with the member sports since 1999 and will consider the case for reconvening the task force if requested to.
	I have recently been contacted by the British Darts Association. I have confirmed that I am happy to assist the association in discussions with alternative sponsors as and when interested companies are identified.

HEALTH

Parliamentary Questions

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of Health when he will reply to the question from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston to which he gave holding replies in July.

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to WPQ numbers (a) 9416, (b) 9403, (c) 8710, (d) 10282, (e) 10262, (f) 11000, (g) 10998, (h) 11957, (i) 12914, (j) 12918 and (k) 13108.

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list, in real terms, for each year since 1979 (a) the total sums of money spent directly by his Department in Scotland and (b) the total sums of money allocated by his Department for spending in Scotland through (i) the Scottish Office, (ii) the Scotland Office and (iii) the Scottish Executive;
	(2)  when he will reply to the question from the hon. Member for Beckenham of 14 November (ref. 16184);
	(3)  when he will answer questions no 16189 of 14 November and no 21660 of 4 December.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham can expect answers to his Questions Ref. (a) 7597 (holding answer 15.10.01), (b) 7600 (holding answer 15.10.01), (c) 7606 (holding answer 15.10.01), (d) 24676 (holding answer 15.10.01), (e) 24341 (holding answer 15.10.01), (f) 12606 (holding answer 5.11.01), (g) 19224 (holding answer 29.11.01), (h) 26497 (holding answer 11.1.02), (i) 26496 (holding answer 11.1.02), (j) 26496 (holding answer 11.1.02), (k) 24681 (tabled 17.12.01), (l) 24310 (tabled 17.12.01) and (m) 24326 (holding answer 8.1.02).

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to Questions 24600, 24601, 24606 and 24576 tabled on 19 December 2001 and Questions 16847, 16848 and 16853 tabled on 21 November 2001.

Alan Milburn: I have today replied to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) about delays which have come to light in handling parliamentary questions tabled for this Department.
	I apologise for the delay in replying to these questions. A substantive reply will now be given as soon as possible.

Parliamentary Questions

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many named day parliamentary written questions were tabled to his Department between 15 October and 5 November; and what proportion of these have received holding answers;
	(2)  what proportion of those named day parliamentary written questions to his Department that received a holding answer between 15 October and 5 November received the substantive answer (a) within three parliamentary days, (b) within seven parliamentary days, (c) within 10 parliamentary days, (d) within 15 parliamentary days and (e) over 15 parliamentary days after the holding answer was issued.

Jacqui Smith: pursuant to her reply, 16 November 2001, c. 950W
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today replied to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) about delays which have come to light in handling parliamentary questions tabled for this Department.
	In the light of the events described in my right hon. Friend's answer to my hon. Friend, I will let the hon. Member have a revised reply as soon as possible.

Parliamentary Questions

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) named day written questions and (b) ordinary written questions to his Department tabled before 30 November 2001 have yet to receive a substantive reply;
	(2)  what the tabling date was of the earliest written question to his Department which is still awaiting a substantive reply.

Hazel Blears: pursuant to her reply, 5 February 2002, c. 923W
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today replied to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) about delays which have come to light in handling parliamentary questions tabled for this Department.
	In the light of the events described in my right hon. Friend's answer to my hon. Friend, I will let the hon. Member have a revised reply as soon as possible.

General Practitioners

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of UK medical graduates entered general practice in the last five years.

John Hutton: We do not hold information centrally on the percentage of UK medical graduates who enter general practice.
	The numbers entering general practice registrar posts during the last five years is:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 1,343 
			 1998 1,446 
			 1999 1,520 
			 2000 1,659 
			 2001 1,883

Tobacco Policy Team

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department met the smoking czar, Nikki Wade.

Yvette Cooper: As a member of the Department of Health's Tobacco Policy Team, Nikki Wade (now Griffiths) is responsible for the co-ordination of the local Alliance Network. Mrs. Griffiths is not and has never been given the title "smoking czar" by the Department of Health. This title was incorrectly attributed to Mrs. Griffiths in an article concerning the launch of the Alliance Network published by the Health Service Journal in November 2000.

Body-building Drugs

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been treated in the NHS for illnesses caused by the overuse of body building drugs in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Data on the number of drug users presenting to services for the treatment of anabolic steroids are not held centrally.
	Needle exchange schemes that distribute clean needles and syringes have reported they attract steroid users that attend for a supply of clean needles. However, there are no quantitative data available on this across England.

Health Authority Expenditure

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was (a) the total bill for salaries and expenses for board members, (b) the administrative operating costs and (c) the total annual budget in the latest year for which figures are available for each regional health authority in England.

John Hutton: Regional health authorities were dissolved in 1996. The answer shown in the table provides expenditure by health authority area for (a) authority members' remuneration, (b) authority administration expenditure and (c) total expenditure for 2000–01.
	In many health authorities there are factors which distort expenditure figures for comparison purposes. These affect the answers given for part (c) and include:
	the health authority acting in a lead capacity to commission health care or fund training on behalf of other health bodies;
	asset revaluations in national health service trusts being funded through health authorities; and
	some double counting of expenditure between health authorities and primary care trusts within the health authority area.
	Expenditure cannot therefore be reliably compared between health authorities.
	Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.
	Source:
	Health authority audited summarisation forms 2000–01
	Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01.
	Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board.
	Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be identified.
	
		£000 
		
			  Health authority Authority members' remuneration Administration expenditure  Total expenditure 
		
		
			 Avon 441 19,620 808,107 
			 Barking and Havering 456 4,912 313,841 
			 Barnet 396 5,698 317,222 
			 Barnsley 338 3,830 196,582 
			 Bedfordshire 390 12,247 405,606 
			 Berkshire 454 13,619 585,486 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 551 6,216 386,555 
			 Birmingham 741 25,335 891,730 
			 Bradford 1,013 8,615 387,767 
			 Brent and Harrow 286 6,663 400,214 
			 Bromley 432 5,797 284,221 
			 Buckinghamshire 555 11,202 460,821 
			 Bury and Rochdale 449 3,964 310,554 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 365 7,671 448,263 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,341 14,862 518,689 
			 Camden and Islington 374 6,094 537,478 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 639 6,351 392,751 
			 County Durham and Darlington 496 6,302 495,693 
			 Coventry 390 9,752 265,956 
			 Croydon 543 4,125 303,260 
			 Doncaster 489 7,127 271,638 
			 Dorset 1,168 14,706 711,560 
			 Dudley 365 3,629 245,172 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 570 16,225 630,055 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 341 22,112 377,290 
			 East Kent 440 10,729 495,988 
			 East Lancashire 583 9,881 416,671 
			 East London and the City 439 46,738 715,153 
			 East Riding and Hull 476 5,498 4151,486 
			 East Surrey 488 8,695 365,566 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 456 9,054 647,275 
			 Enfield and Haringey 457 6,275 421,984 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 409 3,849 319,730 
			 Gloucestershire 392 5,451 411,598 
			 Herefordshire 629 4,337 120,606 
			 Hillingdon 747 6,256 186,751 
			 Isle of Wight 470 2,284 118,677 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 486 5,975 509,929 
			 Kingston and Richmond 799 6,411 278,725 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 502 11,575 803,339 
			 Leeds 654 8,860 647,260 
			 Leicestershire 667 10,387 664,488 
			 Lincolnshire 413 7,027 510,114 
			 Liverpool 514 5,757 479,438 
			 Manchester 825 10,468 469,117 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 923 14,876 574,703 
			 Morecambe Bay 415 5,046 424,583 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 407 5,803 425,973 
			 Norfolk 606 8,925 598,090 
			 North and East Devon 415 7,172 377,902 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 362 6,289 386,281 
			 North Cheshire 441 3,558 254,458 
			 North Cumbria 439 9,368 250,278 
			 North Derbyshire 414 4,415 271,232 
			 North Essex 1,225 20,191 679,568 
			 North Nottinghamshire 951 9,002 294,850 
			 North Staffordshire 529 9,141 375,815 
			 North West Lancashire 438 11,011 394,099 
			 North Yorkshire 503 8,365 564,991 
			 Northamptonshire 988 7,729 427,464 
			 Northumberland 369 3,320 273,023 
			 Nottingham 471 6,873 536,389 
			 Oxfordshire 371 7,760 446,085 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 430 10,418 404,181 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 377 4,239 408,558 
			 Rotherham 396 3,306 197,645 
			 Salford and Trafford 482 7,600 407,129 
			 Sandwell 518 6,443 255,198 
			 Sefton 460 5,746 310,887 
			 Sheffield 489 10,407 547,408 
			 Shropshire 515 4,451 304,921 
			 Solihull 315 3,059 146,558 
			 Somerset 419 6,973 380,621 
			 South and West Devon 706 6,751 481,570 
			 South Cheshire 470 7,253 513,076 
			 South Essex 748 15,421 552,193 
			 South Humber 787 5,969 247,890 
			 South Lancashire 374 3,186 229,058 
			 South Staffordshire 434 9,609 406,554 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 698 6,798 407,875 
			 Southern Derbyshire 705 15,432 421,492 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 397 4,084 282,894 
			 Stockport 356 3,696 212,670 
			 Suffolk 392 7,479 487,269 
			 Sunderland 375 5,549 251,410 
			 Tees 254 13,547 490,027 
			 Wakefield 491 10,390 286,738 
			 Walsall 309 5,998 205,300 
			 Warwickshire 396 4,043 366,166 
			 West Hertfordshire 471 10,271 401,807 
			 West Kent 641 20,371 700,901 
			 West Pennine 484 14,989 359,807 
			 West Surrey 436 6,843 477,760 
			 West Sussex 269 8,946 588,497 
			 Wigan and Bolton 476 8,974 450,150 
			 Wiltshire 478 5,867 448,801 
			 Wirral 438 3,981 279,106 
			 Wolverhampton 384 4,392 198,476 
			 Worcestershire 357 5,534 394,445 
			 England total 51,523 859,040 41,041,228

Private Finance Initiative Contracts

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total external spend by his Department was on private finance initiative consultants in each of the last four years; how many full-time equivalent consultants were employed over this period; how many billed consultancy days there were per year; what the implied average cost of each PFI consultant was; how many consultancy firms were used by his Department over this period; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The total external spend by the Department on private finance initiative consultancy work from 1998 to date is £607,701.02; broken down and is shown in the table.
	
		Private finance initiative consultancy work 1998 to date
		
			 Year Cost (£) Number of firms 
		
		
			 1998 270,219.50 2 
			 1999 108,824.29 2 
			 2000 60,379.66 4 
			 2001 168,277.57 6 
		
	
	The fees charged in the majority of cases was for specific work at an agreed cost with the company. It is therefore not possible to calculate how many consultants were employed, nor how many consultancy days there were per year.

NHS Operations (Private Sector)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were carried out under the NHS and performed in the private sector in the last 12 months.

John Hutton: Since November 2000 the Independent Healthcare Association has collected monthly data from independent health care providers about the number of NHS patients treated by them. According to data made available to the Department by the IHA, in the calendar year 2001 at least 71,750 procedures were carried out in the independent sector in England, paid for by the NHS. This includes out-patient appointments, day cases and in-patient treatment.

Public Appointments

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the appointments made by his Department since 1 May 1997 of chairmen of (a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) commissions, (c) inquiries, (d) agencies and (e) task forces; and if he will list their (i) term of office, (ii) salary and (iii) known political affiliation (A) past and (B) present.

Hazel Blears: Information relating to non-departmental public bodies and special health authorities (both of which includes commissions) and public inquiries has been placed in the Library. This does not include information on the political affiliation of chairs of the bodies listed as this is not collected. None of the agencies for which the Department is responsible have chairs. Information on the number, remit and membership of task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews has been published by the Cabinet Office on a regular basis. The first report was published on 11 January 2000 and gives information for the period between 1 May 1997 to 31 October 1999. A second report was published on 27 July 2000, and covered the period 1 November 1999 to 30 April 2000. A third report was published on 27 December 2000 covering the period 1 May 2000 to 31 October 2000. The most recent report: "Task forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews", which was issued in October 2001, covers the period of the financial year 2000–01. Copies of these reports are available in the Library.

Wanless Report

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the recommendations for future health care in the interim report by Derek Wanless and the medicine reclassification initiatives upon plans for the future training of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals; and if he will make a statement on the plans for such training.

John Hutton: HM Treasury commissioned a report by Derek Wanless, "Securing our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View" to review the technological, demographic and medical trends over the next two decades that will affect the national health service. An interim report has been issued for consultation. A final report is expected later this year.
	The Government are committed to making more medicines more widely available where it is safe to do so and the training and information needs of health care professionals and patients is an integral part in this process.

Public-Private Partnerships

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which public-private partnerships with a capital value in excess of £1 million are under negotiation by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The table lists the private finance initiative schemes with a capital value of £1 million or greater which are currently under negotiation. All these schemes have placed an Official Journal of the European Communities notice and have yet to reach final close.
	
		
			 Region Trust Project description 
		
		
			 Northern and Yorkshire Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust Completion of Reconfiguration of Acute Hospital Services in Newcastle 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust Implementation of Leeds Acute Services Reconfiguration Strategy 
			 Northern and Yorkshire North Durham Health Care NHS Trust Chester-le-Street Community Hospital 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Huddersfield and Calderdale NHS Trusts EPR (Electronic Patient Record) scheme 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Redevelopment of Wharfdale General Hospital 
			 Northern and Yorkshire Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust and Airdale NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 Trent Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Acute Reconfiguration 
			 Trent Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust Elderly Mental Health 
			 Trent Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust Mental Health services 
			 Trent Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust Staff residences 
			 Eastern East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust Ambulatory Care Centre 
			 Eastern Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust Staff accommodation 
			 Eastern Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust DTC 
			 London Havering Hospitals NHS Trust Redevelopment of Hospital facilities 
			 London Newham Healthcare NHS Trust Rationalisation 
			 London The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust Redevelopment of Acute Hospital Services 
			 London Parkside Health NHS Trust Willesden 
			 London West London Pathology Consortium Pathology Systems 
			 London Havering Hospital NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 London King's Healthcare NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 London Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 London Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 London Barts and The London NHS Trust Acute rationalisation 
			 London South West London Community Trust Reconfiguration of Queen Mary's Roehampton 
			 South East Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Acute rationalisation 
			 South East Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust Radcliffe infirmary relocation to John Radcliffe Hospital site 
			 South East Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust Partial Redevelopment 
			 South East Newbury Primary Care NHS Trust Consolidation of sites in Newbury 
			 South East Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust Orthopaedic/Medicines redevelopment 
			 South East Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust Mental Health Acute Hospital reprovision 
			 South East East Kent Community NHS Trust West View Reprovision Joint NHS/Local Authority 
			 South East Brighton Health Care NHS Trust Renal Unit Reprovision 
			 South East Northampton Community Healthcare NHS Trust Danetre Community Health Centre Joint NHS/Local Authority 
			 South East Invicta Community Care NHS Trust Mental Health Reprovision 
			 South East Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust Acute Mental Health Ward reprovision 
			 South East Brighton Health Care NHS Trust Brighton Education Centre 
			 South East Bournewood Community and Mental Health NHS Trust Walton and Chertsey Health Centres 
			 South East Ashford and St. Peter's NHS Trust Energy Management Scheme 
			 South East Mid-Sussex NHS Trust Low Secure Unit 
			 South East Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust RBBH EPR 
			 South East Royal Surrey County Hospital EPR scheme 
			 South East Heatherwood and Wexham Park NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 South East Milton Keynes General NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 South East South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 South East Stoke Mandeville NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 South West Gloucestershire Royal NHS Trust Site redevelopment 
			 South West Exeter and District Community Health Services NHS Trust Tiverton Hospital 
			 South West Cornwall Healthcare NHS Trust Western Mental Health, Cambourne and Redruth 
			 South West South West Regional Procurement EPR systems 
			 South West Swindon and Marlborough EPR scheme 
			 South West Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnerships NHS Trust Reprovision of mental health services 
			 West Midlands North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 West Midlands University Hospitals Warwickshire and Coventry NHS Trust New DGH 
			 West Midlands Mid-Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 West Midlands Birmingham City Hospital NHS Trust DTC 
			 North West Central Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust Service Reconfiguration 
			 North West Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust Site Rationalisation 
			 North West Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust Staff Residential Accommodation 
			 North West Christie NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 North West Blackburn NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 North West Burnley NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 North West North Manchester NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 North West Chorley and Preston NHS Trust EPR scheme 
			 North West Salford Mental Health NHS Trust EPR scheme

Speech Therapy

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students (a) successfully completed speech and language therapy courses and (b) were recruited to courses in speech and language therapy in 2001.

John Hutton: The Department does not record the number of students who successfully complete training courses.
	558 students started speech and language training courses during 2000–01.

NHS Staff

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what qualifications short of professional training are available to health care assistants and unqualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff.

John Hutton: Extending the skills, potential and careers of NHS staff is a fundamental part of the NHS Plan and "Working Together—Learning Together, a Framework for Lifelong Learning for the NHS". Copies of these are available in the House of Commons Library. Decisions on training are taken by individual staff and local NHS organisations in the light of local, national service frameworks and NHS Plan priorities.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), established in April 2001, is responsible for overseeing, planning and funding post-16 education and training in England. The NHS in England is increasingly taking advantage of the full range of national education and training frameworks, particularly national vocational qualifications (NVQs). Healthcare assistants and unqualified nursing and midwifery staff generally undertake NVQ levels 2 and 3 in Care.

Mixed Sex Mental Health Wards

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets he has set as regards the ending of mixed sex mental health wards; what progress has been made; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: We have set a target of December 2002 for the provision of single sex accommodation in 95 per cent. of trusts. Information on mental health accommodation is not kept separately.
	On-going monitoring of the progress of the project continues and indicates that progress towards the targets in being maintained. Work is continuing to ensure that this remains the case.
	Additional professional and technical support is being made available to those who are finding meeting the targets particularly challenging.

Cancer

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on chemotherapy in the UK per head of the population in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not collect figures on the cost of national health service services in a way that enables an accurate figure to be calculated for expenditure on chemotherapy.

Cancer

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list each NHS health authority in England and Wales that (a) does and (b) does not (i) conduct non- emergency operations relating to cancer on Saturdays and Sundays and (ii) administer non-emergency radiotherapy treatment on Saturdays and Sundays.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not available centrally.

Cancer

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of cancer patients have developed neutropenia while receiving chemotherapy in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: There are 220,000 new cases of cancer registered each year.
	Analysis on the hospital episode statistics database shows that in 2000–01 there were 6,600 in-patient admissions for neutropenia. Of these, 2,470 admissions had a cause related to chemotherapy.

Cancer

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in each NHS health authority in England and Wales were screened for breast cancer in (a) the year prior the implementation of the NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programme and (b) during the first year of the programme; and what the average waiting times for radiotherapy were in each NHS health authority for those years.

Yvette Cooper: The national health service breast screening programme began in 1988 following a successful trial, the United Kingdom trial of the early detection of breast cancer and the publication of the Forrest report in 1986 1 . Before 1988, the only unit undertaking breast screening by mammography in England was the Guildford centre, which was the English site for the trial. In 1987–88, the year before the programme began, it is estimated that 5,000 women were screened at the Guildford centre.
	In 1988–89, the first year of roll-out of the national programme, 110,000 women were screened in the UK. These data are not available by health authority.
	Data on the average waiting times for radiotherapy in each health authority for 1987–88 and 1988–89 are not held centrally.
	1 Breast Cancer Screening: Report to the Health Ministers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 1986

Cancer

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS health authorities in England and Wales that (a) are and (b) are not meeting the target in the NHS cancer plan of a maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment for patients referred for breast cancer treatment.

Yvette Cooper: The NHS Cancer Plan targets are only applicable to England. The maximum target wait of one month from diagnosis to first definitive treatment for breast cancer came into effect on 31 December 2001. Central monitoring began on 1 January 2002 and data will be published later in the year.

Cancer

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce a system of therapy and counselling for (a) patients and (b) families of patients who have been diagnosed as having cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: As part of the NHS Cancer Plan we are developing a supportive care strategy. The strategy includes ensuring that people affected by cancer are able to access the right professional support, treatment and help, from when cancer is first suspected through to death and bereavement. As part of the strategy, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop and publish evidence-based guidance on supportive and palliative care. The initial NICE findings will be available from summer 2002 and will include guidance on psychological and social support for patients and carers.

Cancer

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) lung, (b) breast, (c) prostate, (d) ovarian and (e) leukaemia cancer patients who have been initially diagnosed as suffering from curable cancer have been considered incurable by the time treatment began in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not available centrally.

Cancer

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average population served by each UK hospital offering specialised cancer care was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the variations by (a) nation and (b) region.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not available in the form requested. Although efforts have been made to quantify catchment populations at a trust level, all calculations are based on ward-resident populations. Therefore cancer network populations are more appropriate. Cancer services are provided by cancer networks which bring together primary and community care and secondary care services. Data on cancer network populations for England are shown in the table. Further information is available at http:// www.canceruk.net/catchment/catchment.htm.
	
		Cancer services catchment populations by network—England March 2000
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Greater Manchester and Cheshire 3,031,185 
			 Mount Vernon (Herts, Beds, NW London) 2,844,717 
			 Four Counties (Berks, Bucks, Northants, Oxford, Wiltshire) 2,760,312 
			 Pan Birmingham 2,578,723 
			 Yorkshire 2,492,752 
			 Avon, Somerset and Wiltshire 2,053,076 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 2,031,650 
			 Mid Trent 1,837,472 
			 Central South Coast 1,811,372 
			 West London 1,807,752 
			 Northern 1,792,520 
			 Kent 1,706,833 
			 North Trent 1,662,291 
			 Black Country 1,637,248 
			 West Anglia 1,610,806 
			 North West Midlands 1,512,214 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,473,707 
			 North East London 1,468,266 
			 South West London 1,445,978 
			 Lancashire and South Cumbria 1,428,763 
			 South East London 1,388,034 
			 Arden 1,286,123 
			 North London 1,238,966 
			 Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire 1,224,704 
			 3 Counties (Gloucs, Hereford, Worcs) 1,198,068 
			 Humber and Yorkshire Coast 994,309 
			 Sussex 983,718 
			 Mid Anglia 909,756 
			 Leicestershire 804,200 
			 Norfolk and Waveney 682,461 
			 Teeside, South Durham and North Yorkshire 660,891 
			 Derby/Burton 640,798 
			 South Essex 617,359 
			 Dorset 613,958 
			 No Network 510,105 
			  
			 Grand Total 52,741,084

NHS Treatment Costs

Barbara Follett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of each NHS treatment with a patient by (a) a GP, (b) a nurse, (c) a consultant and (d) a chiropodist or podiatrist was in the last three years.

John Hutton: The cost information that we hold centrally is not based on the individual staff categories that perform given treatments and procedures, but is linked to the procedures/treatments themselves. We hold annual information on unit costs and activity for services provided by NHS Trusts, Primary Care Trusts and Personal Medical Services plus element.
	For chiropody/podiatry the majority of services are provided through clinics in various settings. For example in Reference Costs 2001, which was recently published, the national average cost of a chiropody/podiatry attendance was £18 in a NHS Trust. Chiropody/podiatry attendances in Primary Care Trusts and Personal Medical Service Pilots have an average cost per attendance of £18 and £10 respectively.
	This information on chiropody/podiatry services has been collected for the first time for the 2000–01 publication and therefore historic information for these services is not available. The cost of a range of inpatient and day case procedures undertaken by consultants is also available.
	
		£ 
		
			   Foot procedures  
			  Category 1 Category 2 
		
		
			 Elective inpatient 913 1,104 
			 Non-elective inpatient 1,163 1,443 
			 Day case 527 534 
		
	
	The full range of reference cost information 2001 can be found on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/ nhsexec/refcosts.htm. The site holds reference cost information from 1998 onwards. Details in hard copy are also held in the Library.

HIV/AIDS

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the HIV prevention moneys allocated to health authorities for 1999–2000 was used for targeted prevention work with (a) people with family links to sub-Sarahan Africa, (b) injecting drug users, (c) women having sex with people in at-risk groups and (d) gay and bisexual men based on AIDS Control Act reports submitted to the Department.

Yvette Cooper: £53.4 million was allocated to health authorities in 1999–2000 for HIV prevention. Approximately 6 per cent. was targeted at people with links to sub-Saharan Africa, 14 per cent. at injecting drug users, 3 per cent. at women partners of men in high risk groups, and 21 per cent. at gay and bisexual men.

General Practitioner

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he has taken to reduce the prevalence of HIV infections in heterosexual males; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The national strategy for sexual health and HIV prioritises the HIV prevention needs of groups most affected by HIV, including people from, or with links to, high prevalence countries (currently in Africa), injecting drug misusers and men who have sex with men. The strategy also proposes a target to reduce by 50 per cent. the number of previously undiagnosed HIV infected people attending genito-urinary clinics who remain unaware of their infection by the end of 2007.
	Latest estimates of the number of adults living in the United Kingdom with HIV infection indicate that nearly half of all infections in male heterosexuals are undiagnosed. These men are therefore unable to benefit from HIV treatment services and health promotion to reduce the likelihood of infecting their partners.
	Figures from the Public Health Laboratory Service show that, to date, a total of 5,813 men and 7,630 women diagnosed in the UK are presumed to have acquired HIV through heterosexual sex. This compares to almost 27,000 diagnoses in gay and bisexual men. The majority of heterosexuals with HIV are of African origin and acquired their infection abroad.
	In line with the strategy, the Department will launch later this year a new information campaign for the general population on safer-sex, which will cover the prevention of sexually transmitted infections including HIV.

General Practitioner

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what appeal procedures will be open to general practitioners who disagree with the conclusions of the proposed annual appraisals.

John Hutton: Primary care trusts will be responsible locally for organising and supporting the appraisal of each of their general practitioners (GPs). The GP appraisal framework, issued by the Department, makes clear that in discharging this function, each PCT will be expected to establish effective procedures to deal with worries or concerns from individual GPs about the process or outcomes of appraisal.

General Practitioner

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost is of the proposed annual appraisal of general practitioners.

John Hutton: Research commissioned by the Department suggests that the average time commitment for the appraisee will be between 4½ to 6½ hours. However this will vary between different GPs. In addition, the appraisal process will in some cases systemise existing arrangements in GP practices or Personal Medical Services pilots for monitoring and reviewing professional development. The GP appraisal framework makes clear that primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible locally for organising and resourcing the new appraisal system. The 2002–03 health authority revenue resource limits circular (HSC 2001/024) made clear that PCTs should identify resources to support the new system and that they should have a funded policy on the provision of locum cover.

General Practitioner

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what opportunity there will be for patients to make representations about their general practitioners for use in annual appraisals.

John Hutton: The appraisal documentation requires the general practitioner being appraised to include consideration of his or her relationships with patients. Examples of documentation which may be used to inform this aspect of the appraisal includes patient survey data; significant event reports; any complaints or other representations received from patients, including any appreciative feedback.

General Practitioner

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what standards will be used against which GPs can be measured in making annual appraisals.

John Hutton: The general practitioner appraisal framework issued by the Department explains that the annual appraisal of a GP will be based on the core headings set out in the "Good Medical Practice" document, published by the General Medical Council. These comprise:
	Good clinical care
	Maintaining good medical practice
	Relationships with patients
	Working with colleagues
	Teaching and training
	Probity
	Health.

General Practitioner

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sanctions will be available for use against general practitioners who fail the proposed annual appraisal.

Diane Abbott: The primary aim of appraisal is to help general practitioners consolidate and improve on good performance. Appraisal will support the continuing personal and professional development of GPs.
	The appraisal will not result in a pass or fail. It should conclude by setting down, as an action plan, the agreements that have been reached about what each party is committed to doing. This should include the essentials of the personal development plan (PDP). The appraisal should identify individual needs that will be addressed through the PDP. The appraiser and appraisee should review progress against the PDP and these actions during the course of the year and at the next appraisal discussion.
	It should be exceptional for serious concerns about performance to be first raised in an appraisal. However, where it becomes apparent, during the appraisal process, that there is a potentially serious performance issue, which requires further discussion, the appraiser must refer the matter immediately to the PCT clinical governance lead or PCT Chief Executive to take appropriate action. This may for example include referral to any support arrangements that may be in place.

Public Health (Municipal Incinerators)

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has evaluated concerning the impact on children's health of the proximity of municipal incinerators.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The Department is aware of relevant epidemiological studies of childhood cancers, birth defects, and respiratory health, chromosomal aberrations, thyroid hormone levels, and pollutant levels in children, in relation to incinerators. Nearly all of these studies were conducted in countries other than the United Kingdom and are of an older generation of incinerators which would fail to meet current requirements for pollution control and emission standards for municipal incinerators in this country. The studies fail to provide convincing evidence that municipal incinerators affect children's health.
	A report on "Health Effects of Waste Combustion Products", published in 1997 by the Medical Research Council Institute for Environment and Health, concluded that
	"Epidemiological studies of people who work at or live near incinerators have shown no consistent excess incidence of any specific disease."
	Similarly, a report on "Waste Incineration and Public Health", published in 1999 from the US National Research Council, concluded that "Few epidemiological studies have attempted to assess whether adverse health effects have actually occurred near individual incinerators, and most of them have been unable to detect any effects. The studies of which the committee is aware that did report finding health effects had shortcomings and failed to provide convincing evidence."
	A 1997 study by Knox and Gilman EA on "Hazard proximities of childhood cancers in Great Britain from 1953–80" claimed that childhood cancers were associated with industrial atmospheric effluents. It was considered by independent expert advisory Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, which
	"noted a number of major limitations in the methodology used which we believe prevent any conclusions being drawn from these data", and advised that
	"we do not consider that any further work is warranted".
	A later paper by Knox published in 2000 developed the same methodology and claimed an increased incidence of childhood cancer in children born near incinerators, but was based on the same methodology, and related to exposures from over two decades ago.

Health Expenditure

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for (a) Great Britain and (b) each health authority area, the expenditure on health by weighted head of population, expressed in real terms, for each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

John Hutton: Information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
	The expenditure on health by weighted head of population in real terms for each health authority area in England for each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
	Expenditure by health authorities and primary care trusts.
	
		£ 
		
			 Health authority area 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Avon 638.16 683.57 747.51 810.53 
			 Barking and Havering 625.42 640.62 700.84 748.55 
			 Barnett 673.35 673.84 768.20 939.62 
			 Barnsley 563.45 572.70 679.59 739.66 
			 Bedfordshire 597.57 638.42 696.69 739.78 
			 Berkshire 612.07 655.71 718.34 757.49 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 647.29 683.24 793.77 828.82 
			 Birmingham 670.17 691.96 749.03 764.32 
			 Bradford 627.22 620.53 724.17 692.45 
			 Brent and Harrow 676.69 718.59 823.35 804.74 
			 Bromley 594.78 623.30 793.39 791.35 
			 Buckinghamshire 622.91 652.66 685.31 730.37 
			 Bury and Rochdale 625.40 616.49 707.36 740.61 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 585.69 597.34 691.84 742.27 
			 Cambridge and Huntingdon 628.29 682.69 N/A N/A 
			 Cambridgeshire N/A N/A 702.68 727.68 
			 Camden and Islington 670.94 745.05 834.92 974.71 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 621.90 638.13 751.33 766.48 
			 County Durham 588.54 608.76 675.16 707.44 
			 Coventry 594.35 599.78 676.64 733.34 
			 Croydon 602.78 653.25 712.27 896.26 
			 Doncaster 616.50 620.15 711.02 710.42 
			 Dorset 608.70 649.09 743.89 932.50 
			 Dudley 593.34 625.00 684.70 728.03 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 660.69 676.78 747.62 801.92 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 660.28 704.91 707.99 755.61 
			 East Kent 593.74 637.27 703.87 766.12 
			 East Lancashire 625.16 631.03 720.19 706.83 
			 East London and The City 642.21 637.79 789.78 812.98 
			 East Norfolk 639.37 665.87 N/A N/A 
			 East Riding 620.29 637.16 716.52 770.24 
			 East Surrey 716.22 770.47 837.92 872.74 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 605.10 622.72 780.63 778.73 
			 Enfield and Haringey 596.63 626.60 717.28 791.72 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 614.85 613.17 677.22 727.09 
			 Gloucestershire 647.04 659.61 745.23 778.71 
			 Herefordshire 687.03 675.53 825.52 671.61 
			 Hillingdon 612.52 649.09 719.40 614.53 
			 Isle of Wight 680.61 708.73 773.74 836.61 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 691.53 706.81 795.92 878.86 
			 Kingston and Richmond 700.65 739.04 769.12 795.64 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 640.25 668.31 804.71 852.49 
			 Leeds 650.93 646.72 755.50 785.61 
			 Leicestershire 642.73 646.99 739.63 762.11 
			 Lincolnshire 683.05 657.34 725.73 746.46 
			 Liverpool 628.60 640.29 749.48 808.94 
			 Manchester 659.87 693.00 787.86 761.45 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 660.03 699.38 839.01 796.03 
			 Morecambe Bay 680.79 701.70 786.62 794.67 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 634.64 664.58 787.25 787.58 
			 Norfolk N/A N/A 740.53 760.50 
			 North and East Devon 650.65 664.15 724.43 769.90 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 653.09 686.32 735.98 813.99 
			 North Cheshire 625.46 641.18 721.36 756.15 
			 North Cumbria 625.51 654.38 704.01 757.42 
			 North Derbyshire 638.91 665.18 684.19 719.00 
			 North Essex 623.82 647.87 740.78 777.34 
			 North Nottinghamshire 604.53 612.79 715.05 679.24 
			 North Staffordshire 606.03 610.27 687.60 725.72 
			 North West Anglia 607.39 629.74 N/A N/A 
			 North West Lancashire 599.01 601.87 721.61 746.26 
			 North Yorkshire 657.16 703.80 722.87 763.24 
			 Northamptonshire 603.11 635.16 713.85 734.29 
			 Northumberland 664.02 677.71 752.58 751.21 
			 Nottingham 598.29 693.34 723.95 780.25 
			 Oxfordshire 614.25 639.92 733.57 779.26 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire 567.61 631.87 682.05 733.14 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 651.23 699.27 748.03 812.97 
			 Rotherham 573.85 588.40 702.11 742.99 
			 Salford and Trafford 608.17 630.56 740.20 784.35 
			 Sandwell 625.16 651.68 709.97 744.36 
			 Sefton 620.06 639.29 719.10 1,023.16 
			 Sheffield 639.35 645.20 771.96 769.93 
			 Shropshire 616.71 636.59 729.71 740.94 
			 Solihull 679.92 704.23 700.29 736.55 
			 Somerset 633.21 662.55 709.49 754.86 
			 South and West Devon 619.25 634.98 726.34 735.69 
			 South Cheshire 632.95 673.90 709.08 743.64 
			 South Derbyshire 643.24 648.31 688.78 717.08 
			 South Essex 591.61 614.43 673.43 721.20 
			 South Humber 675.04 713.20 784.66 765.98 
			 South Lancashire 644.54 683.94 748.52 735.88 
			 South Staffordshire 622.63 632.70 699.52 758.07 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 632.49 674.77 738.44 706.49 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 605.61 620.49 670.55 722.31 
			 Stockport 605.20 626.59 728.46 746.47 
			 Suffolk 628.39 667.78 717.21 757.91 
			 Sunderland 597.41 591.13 688.21 760.22 
			 Tees 579.50 608.08 735.18 768.50 
			 Wakefield 711.04 715.51 713.77 801.36 
			 Walsall 596.74 633.92 726.59 739.30 
			 Warwickshire 689.05 691.18 741.27 771.73 
			 West Hertfordshire 659.88 686.68 725.94 765.17 
			 West Kent 624.15 656.07 771.41 744.60 
			 West Pennine 567.85 578.28 674.21 712.85 
			 West Surrey 663.18 698.46 781.74 809.35 
			 West Sussex 605.96 653.17 694.99 742.11 
			 Wigan and Bolton 571.93 587.38 660.84 717.35 
			 Wiltshire 652.32 691.15 776.22 807.29 
			 Wirral 582.48 639.63 717.31 758.47 
			 Wolverhampton 595.73 617.13 698.10 739.83 
			 Worcestershire 687.86 707.86 731.92 801.38 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year.
	2. Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.
	3. The expenditure is the total spent on commissioning health care by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board. The majority of drugs expenditure in 1997–98 and 1998–99 and a smaller element in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.
	4. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting in 2000–01 where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be identified.
	5. Some health authorities act as lead commissioners for particular specialties which inflates their figures when compared with others and also causes differences between years. Other factors may also distort the figures so the results are therefore not all directly comparable with each other and with answers to similar questions for previous years.
	Source:
	Health authority audited accounts 1997–98 and 1998–99
	Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–01
	Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01
	Weighted population estimates for 1997–98 to 2000–01
	GDP deflator at market prices with 2000–01 as the base year

European Health Care Integration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy towards the impact of European integration on member states' health care systems with reference to paragraph 30 of the Laeken conclusions.

Jacqui Smith: The organisation, funding and delivery of care should be a matter for member states to reflect the specific care needs of our population. However, we have much to learn from each other and it is important that we share common experience and best practice to promote a high level of health care and care for all EU citizens in view of the challenges presented by an aging population. This is best achieved by co-operation on a bilateral and multi-lateral level.
	The EU Social Protection Committee and the Economic Policy Committee will present an initial report on orientations in the field of health care for the elderly to Heads of Government at the Barcelona Council on 14–15 March.

Salt

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if stakeholders were (a) contacted by the SACN and (b) asked to submit evidence to the review on salt.

Yvette Cooper: Interested parties were alerted to the review through information placed on the SACN website, which included a call for submissions on evidence. Four key stakeholders—the Food and Drink Federation, the British Retail Consortium, the Salt Manufacturers Association and Consensus Action on Salt and Health—were alerted to the intended review so that they could submit evidence if they so wished.

Salt

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remit is of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's review of the evidence on salt since 1994.

Yvette Cooper: At the first meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) sub-group on salt (25 January 2002), the group agreed that its purpose was to review the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy's 1994 recommendation (for a "reduction in the average intake of sodium by reducing salt intake by a third, from 9g to 6g per day") in the light of any new evidence, taking into account the submissions that had been received from interested parties; and to consider making recommendations for children.

Salt

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition will publish the evidence received from the stakeholders (a) during and (b) after the outcome of the dietary sodium review.

Yvette Cooper: The minutes of the sub group's first meeting will be placed on the SACN website—www.sacn.gov.uk—once they have been agreed by the Chair and members. The agenda of the meeting and a list of papers and submissions submitted to SACN have already been placed on the website. Interested parties can request copies of papers through the SACN secretariat.

Hospital Discharges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to health authorities on handling situations where patients released after delayed discharge refuse to leave the hospital.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 4 March 2002
	A patient's discharge is only regarded as delayed when the hospital team's assessment is that the patient no longer needs treatment in a hospital bed and that they can safely be cared for elsewhere. When this assessment has been made the patient does not have a right indefinitely to occupy a hospital bed. A patient can, however, refuse to be discharged to a care home. In this case, social services staff, together with the hospital, community health services, the patient and any family and carers, will need to explore alternatives. Ultimately a package of health and social care to support the patient in their own home (or alternative accommodation, if their own home is now unsuitable), should be put together to allow the patient to be discharged.

Health Authority Funding

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list in (a) percentage and (b) cash terms the amount by which the funding allocation of each health authority exceeded or fell short of the allocation to which they would have been entitled under the strict application of the weighted capitation formula, in the last year for which figures are available and the preceding five years.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Health authority distances from targets determined by the weighted capitation formula for 2002–03 and the preceding five years are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Distances from target (percentage) Distances form targets (£000)  
			 Health authority 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Avon -1.87 0.40 -1.17 -1.13 -1.25 -0.36 -7,805 1,720 -6,924 -7,351 -8,757 -2,992 
			 Barking and Havering 2.43 0.88 -0.75 0.92 1.45 -0.01 4,299 1,660 -1,934 2,573 4,332 -19 
			 Barnet 3.90 5.66 2.25 0.20 -2.82 n/a 5,596 8,333 4,594 447 -7,131 n/a 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a -1.63 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a -12,734 
			 Barnsley -2.63 -5.24 -2.98 -3.05 -2.95 -2.92 -2,827 -6,088 -4,786 -5,379 -5,616 -6,471 
			 Bedfordshire -3.83 -3.61 -3.82 -3.90 -4.40 -4.02 -8,492 -8,397 -12,427 -13,980 -16,969 -18,577 
			 Berkshire -6.23 -3.83 -3.50 -3.17 -3.36 -3.55 -19,561 -12,355 -15,619 -15,847 -18,213 -23,164 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 6.21 6.30 5.31 6.03 7.27 n/a 12,488 13,209 14,573 18,097 23,230 n/a 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 5.22 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 33,251 
			 Birmingham 1.75 -0.03 0.39 0.59 1.18 0.61 8,295 -165 2,656 4,390 9,395 5,734 
			 Bradford -0.62 -3.18 -1.77 -1.11 -0.96 -1.41 -1,365 -7,528 -5,542 -3,853 -3,604 -6,270 
			 Brent and Harrow 4.75 7.02 3.09 2.11 -0.06 3.59 10,390 15,686 9,296 7,051 -230 15,871 
			 Bromley 0.13 1.55 -0.27 0.11 1.63 n/a 164 2,062 -498 214 3,488 n/a 
			 Buckinghamshire -3.17 -0.86 -2.48 -2.86 -2.83 -2.25 -8,221 -2,276 -9,343 -11,999 -12,845 -12,201 
			 Bury and Rochdale -0.92 -3.07 -1.29 -0.38 -0.49 -1.02 -1,632 -5,816 -3,241 -1,049 -1,455 -3,587 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 0.67 -0.95 0.44 -0.17 0.51 -1.35 1,728 -2,621 1,619 -671 2,205 -6,939 
			 Cambridgeshire n/a n/a n/a -2.36 -3.10 -1.61 n/a n/a n/a -10,687 -14,973 -9,168 
			 Cambridge and Huntingdon -4.01 -2.08 -1.13 n/a n/a n/a -6,745 -3,614 -2,663 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Camden and Islington 7.17 6.56 2.22 1.92 0.21 3.89 16,120 15,494 6,949 6,701 820 18,368 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 0.42 0.18 2.08 1.62 1.12 0.91 901 410 6,454 5,506 4,094 3,955 
			 County Durham -1.67 -3.36 -2.31 -1.89 -1.20 -2.53 -4,803 -10,393 -9,737 -8,724 -5,971 -14,722 
			 Coventry -1.18 -3.36 -3.45 -2.71 -0.79 -1.06 -1,613 -4,955 -7,182 -6,172 -1,910 -3,013 
			 Croydon -2.05 0.01 -1.25 -1.12 -1.33 -2.26 -3,051 17 -2,556 -2,517 -3,237 -6,696 
			 Doncaster -1.89 -3.50 -0.14 -0.20 1.14 -0.24 -2,535 -5,037 -276 -427 2,623 -653 
			 Dorset 1.01 2.66 2.24 1.89 2.86 2.13 3,143 8,501 9,771 9,035 14,599 12,861 
			 Dudley -1.13 -1.12 -1.00 -1.50 -0.53 -1.01 -1,462 -1,521 -1,840 -3,044 -1,157 -2,584 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 2.49 3.24 -0.59 -0.03 -1.77 -0.01 8,392 11,284 -2,835 -133 -10,384 -58 
			 East and North Hertfordshire -1.27 1.58 -0.73 -1.26 -0.98 n/a -2,516 3,186 -2,118 -4,059 -3,432 n/a 
			 East Kent -2.48 -0.24 1.83 2.62 2.69 1.63 -7,011 -693 7,108 11,031 12,225 8,756 
			 East Lancashire -0.09 -2.77 -0.68 -0.73 0.29 -0.01 -227 -7,207 -2,389 -2,822 1,194 -26 
			 East London and The City -2.32 -4.20 -4.69 -3.69 -7.15 -3.09 -8,266 -16,068 -24,117 -20,945 -45,631 -23,515 
			 East Norfolk -0.60 -0.60 0.85 n/a n/a n/a -1,562 -1,639 3,198 n/a n/a n/a 
			 East Riding -0.80 -2.04 -0.66 -0.04 1.46 0.37 -2,013 -5,446 -2,397 -159 6,087 1,838 
			 East Surrey 1.33 4.09 2.10 2.20 2.15 4.44 2,299 7,197 5,013 5,777 6,074 14,713 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 0.72 1.07 2.15 2.43 3.01 1.55 2,535 3,958 10,634 13,072 17,372 10,745 
			 Enfield and Haringey 1.13 1.55 0.54 0.41 -1.03 n/a 2,659 3,803 1,731 1,464 -4,000 n/a 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 1.35 -0.79 -0.76 -1.03 0.32 -1.04 2,369 -1,497 -1,954 -2,889 953 -3,624 
			 Gloucestershire 1.67 3.28 3.85 2.99 3.71 2.99 3,825 7,708 12,408 10,564 14,047 13,401 
			 Herefordshire 1.92 0.55 0.06 -0.29 0.23 -0.36 1,290 393 61 -319 272 -495 
			 Hertfordshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.96 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 8,191 
			 Hillingdon -0.63 0.15 0.43 -0.56 -0.88 0.91 -716 179 658 -963 -1,626 1,929 
			 Isle of Wight 8.16 8.64 7.35 7.02 7.70 n/a 4,911 5,407 6,326 6,603 7,725 n/a 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1.15 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6,743 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster -3.93 -5.13 -8.88 -7.99 -10.90 -8.20 -8,220 -11,480 -27,917 -27,876 -43,475 -40,429 
			 Kingston and Richmond 5.86 6.81 2.25 2.50 0.68 -0.50 8,291 9,988 4,593 5,795 1,724 -1,504 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 0.39 0.34 -0.62 1.96 -0.58 3.93 1,626 1,499 -3,567 12,253 -3,981 32,813 
			 Leeds 0.25 -1.52 0.26 0.61 1.27 1.19 816 -5,231 1,203 3,114 6,984 7,672 
			 Leicestershire -2.38 -3.42 -2.54 -2.78 -2.44 -2.54 -8,783 -13,432 -13,466 -16,280 -15,334 -19,005 
			 Lincolnshire 1.23 -0.13 0.64 -0.86 -0.33 -0.75 3,231 -360 2,528 -3,733 -1,533 -4,173 
			 Liverpool 1.11 0.24 2.09 1.78 3.13 1.54 2,667 612 7,149 6,603 12,371 7,124 
			 Manchester 5.93 2.04 2.28 2.02 2.89 1.45 13,395 5,013 7,758 7,498 11,467 6,839 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 3.27 4.96 2.31 1.84 3.60 1.40 9,804 15,223 9,553 8,245 17,155 8,133 
			 Morecambe Bay 5.22 4.60 4.40 3.36 4.37 3.63 7,211 6,669 8,671 7,291 10,103 9,884 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 2.19 -0.42 0.53 0.89 2.25 0.66 5,041 -1,059 1,752 3,206 8,631 2,970 
			 Norfolk n/a n/a n/a 0.04 -0.46 -0.54 n/a n/a n/a 186 -2,514 -3,498 
			 North and East Devon 2.60 2.30 1.84 1.36 1.27 1.21 5,363 4,970 5,434 4,395 4,456 5,005 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 1.96 3.17 1.36 0.51 -0.18 -0.24 4,006 6,626 3,913 1,612 -630 -962 
			 North Cheshire 6.33 4.00 1.80 1.02 2.22 2.21 8,643 5,838 3,561 2,200 5,093 5,954 
			 North Cumbria 0.05 -0.17 0.06 0.20 -0.07 -0.02 73 -249 111 434 -168 -52 
			 North Derbyshire 0.61 0.20 -0.25 -0.44 0.58 0.83 972 329 -575 -1,090 1,561 2,608 
			 North Essex -3.77 -2.27 -0.69 -0.08 -1.04 -1.52 -13,786 -8,593 -3,480 -436 -6,246 -10,966 
			 North Nottinghamshire -0.75 -2.61 -1.19 -2.16 -0.65 -0.71 -1,247 -4,691 -2,849 -5,763 -1,843 -2,346 
			 North Staffordshire -0.89 -2.70 -2.62 -1.70 -1.10 -1.61 -1,884 -6,157 -8,156 -5,796 -4,010 -6,907 
			 North West Anglia -2.38 -2.73 -1.86 n/a n/a n/a -4,157 -5,046 -4,748 n/a n/a n/a 
			 North West Lancashire -2.03 -3.81 -0.42 0.02 1.52 0.70 -4,612 -9,296 -1,356 54 5,671 3,098 
			 North Yorkshire -0.53 0.01 -0.40 -0.52 -0.74 -0.85 -1,625 40 -1,736 -2,462 -3,795 -5,205 
			 Northamptonshire -1.07 0.43 1.51 0.87 0.30 -0.55 -2,610 1,085 4,847 3,079 1,149 -2,520 
			 Northumberland 0.18 -0.64 -0.17 -0.31 0.75 0.21 245 -915 -325 -661 1,712 562 
			 Nottingham -2.44 -3.53 -2.53 -2.34 -1.55 -2.04 -6,807 -10,487 -10,151 -10,245 -7,280 -11,386 
			 Oxfordshire -4.14 -2.02 -2.84 -2.19 -3.14 -1.83 -9,622 -4,833 -9,569 -8,166 -12,752 -8,880 
			 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire -0.65 0.85 -0.28 0.02 0.49 n/a -1,506 2,037 -917 60 1,942 n/a 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 3.40 4.43 4.72 3.82 3.39 3.46 7,293 9,808 13,384 11,902 11,435 14,091 
			 Rotherham -0.86 -3.03 -0.67 -1.12 -0.47 -0.86 -991 -3,746 -1,079 -1,970 -883 -1,910 
			 Salford and Trafford 0.32 -0.93 2.13 1.72 2.48 1.40 676 -2,105 6,440 5,725 8,831 5,859 
			 Sandwell 0.44 -0.87 -1.34 -0.91 -0.09 -0.62 617 -1,285 -2,795 -2,060 -222 -1,759 
			 Sefton -0.46 0.94 1.05 2.77 4.18 3.50 -640 1,361 1,987 5,688 9,162 8,949 
			 Sheffield 3.33 1.57 1.50 1.19 2.81 1.50 8,285 4,190 5,419 4,686 11,732 7,364 
			 Shropshire -1.08 -1.19 -0.36 -1.32 -1.39 -1.75 -1,850 -2,145 -905 -3,616 -4,118 -6,173 
			 Solihull 1.95 1.89 1.32 0.37 0.92 0.79 1,535 1,553 1,598 496 1,310 1,331 
			 Somerset 0.03 0.70 1.00 0.58 0.85 0.34 52 1,476 2,866 1,843 2,894 1,388 
			 South and West Devon 1.20 1.09 1.86 1.45 2.80 1.99 3,169 3,033 6,989 5,998 12,310 10,350 
			 South Cheshire 0.22 0.32 0.54 0.91 1.58 1.51 603 948 2,168 4,007 7,467 8,378 
			 South Derbyshire 0.50 -1.01 -2.03 -1.56 -1.91 -1.98 1,164 -2,514 -7,068 -5,958 -7,919 -9,620 
			 South Essex -4.41 -2.97 -3.42 -1.54 -1.26 -3.03 -13,305 -9,292 -14,809 -7,240 -6,372 -18,325 
			 South Humber 3.20 2.96 3.44 1.97 2.52 2.50 4,303 4,178 6,625 4,180 5,721 6,675 
			 South Lancashire 4.29 3.22 2.38 2.10 0.92 0.85 5,451 4,314 4,328 4,249 2,013 2,196 
			 South Staffordshire 1.71 0.57 0.85 -0.14 -1.24 -1.15 3,848 1,362 2,721 -508 -4,755 -5,237 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire -2.65 -0.09 0.10 0.05 0.35 -0.02 -6,067 -209 312 178 1,342 -79 
			 St. Helen's and Knowsley -2.49 -2.68 -0.43 -0.84 -0.49 -0.95 -3,925 -4,463 -1,013 -2,173 -1,381 -3,115 
			 Stockport -3.91 -3.68 0.46 0.48 -0.43 -0.47 -4,861 -4,820 802 926 -895 -1,166 
			 Suffolk 0.37 2.68 1.65 0.92 1.06 0.52 985 7,332 6,452 3,950 4,916 2,882 
			 Sunderland -0.44 -3.02 -0.76 -1.02 -0.34 0.07 -619 -4,597 -1,530 -2,255 -809 194 
			 Tees -2.32 -2.82 -0.99 -1.13 -0.57 -2.18 -6,062 -7,819 -3,681 -4,624 -2,522 -11,297 
			 Wakefield 3.34 1.66 0.37 0.45 0.04 -0.22 4,684 2,485 771 1,031 96 -650 
			 Walsall -2.22 -3.87 -1.27 -1.55 -2.35 -1.83 -2,593 -4,844 -2,093 -2,826 -4,653 -4,256 
			 Warwickshire 4.92 3.76 2.66 1.64 1.14 0.97 9,824 7,918 7,616 5,177 3,909 3,925 
			 West Hertfordshire 1.02 2.67 1.59 0.52 -0.11 n/a 2,283 6,118 4,980 1,788 -414 n/a 
			 West Kent -0.84 1.70 0.65 0.97 0.76 0.97 -3,278 6,779 3,636 5,974 4,998 7,577 
			 West Pennine -1.86 -3.81 -1.62 -1.69 -1.73 -1.92 -4,076 -8,940 -4,898 -5,594 -6,170 -8,068 
			 West Surrey 1.71 5.49 2.35 2.60 1.74 3.63 4,428 14,279 8,531 10,150 7,354 18,065 
			 West Sussex -3.65 -0.24 -0.76 -0.51 -0.34 0.92 -12,353 -812 -3,555 -2,609 -1,893 5,940 
			 Wigan and Bolton -3.40 -4.85 -3.13 -2.92 -2.84 -3.22 -9,094 -13,922 -12,069 -12,351 -12,959 -17,240 
			 Wiltshire 1.54 3.65 1.68 2.07 0.46 0.39 3,665 8,856 5,699 7,725 1,873 1,900 
			 Wirral -2.09 -1.50 1.97 3.08 3.65 3.51 -3,308 -2,500 4,365 7,386 9,398 10,556 
			 Wolverhampton -0.51 -1.74 -1.45 -1.85 -0.82 -1.38 -576 -2,095 -2,351 -3,311 -1,570 -3,126 
			 Worcestershire 2.51 2.36 1.75 0.60 0.20 0.17 5,226 5,129 5,228 1,981 724 726 
		
	
	A negative distance from target denotes an under target health authority. A positive distance from target denotes an over target health authority.

Cancelled Operations (Mid-Essex)

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area in (a) each of the last five years and (b) each of the last nine months for which figures are available; and what proportion they were of the total number of operations carried out.

John Hutton: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Number of cancelled operations in North Essex health authority—1997–98 to 2001–02
		
			   Last minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons in the quarter  
			 Year Quarter Number Percentage 
		
		
			 2001–02 Q2 307 1.3 
			 2001–02 Q1 170 1.2 
			 2000–01 Year 1,246 1.7 
			 2000–01 Q4 534 3.0 
			 2000–01 Q3 158 0.8 
			 2000–01 Q2 277 1.6 
			 2000–01 Q1 277 1.5 
			 1999–2000 Year 1,266 1.7 
			 1999–2000 Q4 411 2.4 
			 1999–2000 Q3 336 1.9 
			 1999–2000 Q2 282 1.5 
			 1999–2000 Q1 237 1.2 
			 1998–99 Year 1,000 1.3 
			 1998–99 Q4 511 2.5 
			 1998–99 Q3 193 1.0 
			 1998–99 Q2 109 0.6 
			 1998–99 Q1 187 1.0 
			 1997–98 Year 700 1.0 
			 1997–98 Q4 297 1.8 
			 1997–98 Q3 112 0.7 
			 1997–98 Q2 113 0.6 
			 1997–98 Q1 178 1.0 
		
	
	Note:
	Elective admissions are first finished consultant episodes in general and acute specialties.
	Source:
	Your Guide to the NHS returns, Patient Charter returns, Common Information Core

NHS Dentists

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) adults and (b) children living in the Greater London area are registered with an NHS dentist; and what the figures were in May 1997.

Hazel Blears: The numbers of adults registered with General Dental Services (GDS) dentist as a percentage of the population in Greater London at 30 April 1997 and 31 December 2001 were 48 per cent. and 37 per cent respectively.
	The number of children registered with General Dental Services (GDS) dentist as a percentage of the population in Greater London at 30 April 1997 and 31 December 2001 were 49 per cent. on both dates.
	The registration rates for 30 April 1997 and 31 December 2001 are not comparable. The registration period for adults was changed from 24 months to 15 months for new registrations in September 1996. For children, registrations used to lapse at the end of the calendar year after attendance at the dentist; since September 1996 the registration period is 15 months. These changes began to affect registration numbers in December 1997.
	Some patients who are not registered with a GDS dentist choose to attend occasionally. Patients may attend a dentist in a different area from the area in which they live.
	Greater London is the area covered by the health authorities in the London health region.

NHS Dentists

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were practising in the NHS in Greater London (a) in May 1997 and (b) at the latest available date.

Hazel Blears: The numbers of General Dental Service (GDS) dentists carrying out the majority of their work in Greater London at 31 March 1997 and 30 September 2001 were 2,877 and 3,190 respectively.
	The total number of GDS dentists covers principals on a health authority list, their assistants and vocational dental practitioners.
	Also 41 dentists were working in the Personal Dental Service (PDS) in the London HAs at 30 September 2001 who were not working in the GDS. The PDS began in October 1998.
	Greater London is the area covered by the HAs in the London Health Region.

Care Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department's statistics on care home beds in England include beds in individual domestic dwellings.

Jacqui Smith: Statistics published by the Department on care home beds relates to beds in care homes registered with the local registration and inspection units. This will include beds in small homes (less than four beds) registered under the Registered Homes (Amendment) Act 1991.

Care Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds in care homes have been lost and how many new beds there have been in care homes in England since May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested on the number of care beds closed or created is not available centrally in the form requested.

Care Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by each health authority in England, the number of (a) beds lost in care homes and (b) care homes that have closed since November 2001.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested on care beds and homes closures since November 2001 is not available centrally.

Hospital Waiting Times (Mid-Essex)

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting (a) over six months, (b) over nine months, (c) over 12 months, (d) over 15 months and (e) over 18 months for in-patient treatment in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area, for (i) the latest available month, and (ii) the previous month.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Patients waiting for elective admission, Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust. All specialties
		
			  November 2001 December 2001 
		
		
			 Total waiting 8,787 9,228 
			
			 Of which, number waiting:   
			 Over 6 months 2,426 2,605 
			 Over 9 months 1,232 1,209 
			 Over 12 months 452 370 
			 Over 15 months 61 58 
			 Over 18 months 0 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH07 and Monthly Monitoring

Hospital Waiting Times (Mid-Essex)

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area are waiting for treatment; and how many people have been waiting 13 weeks or more for out-patient treatment.

John Hutton: The information is shown in the table.
	
		Waiting times for first outpatient appointment, Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust—all specialties
		
			   Quarter  
			  September 2001 December 2001 
		
		
			 Number of GP written referral requests seen 11,179 11,656 
			
			 Of those GP written referrals seen, the number who waited (in weeks)   
			 0 to 3 3,248 3,295 
			 4 to 12 4,796 4,907 
			 13 to 25 2,564 2,832 
			 26 plus 571 622 
			
			 Patients still waiting   
			 Over 13 weeks 2,439 2,238 
			 Over 26 weeks 394 456 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08

Chlamydia

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men and (b) women have been diagnosed with chlamydia in each of the last 20 years.

Yvette Cooper: Genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics provide the best available data on sexually transmitted infections and reported cases of uncomplicated genital chlamydial infection from 1990 are shown in the table. There are no data for chlamydial infection before 1990 as cases were included in the category "non specific urethritis".
	
		Number of cases of uncomplicated chlamydial genital infection:England 1990 to 2000(20)
		
			 Year Male cases Female cases 
		
		
			 1990 13,507 16,677 
			 1991 13,694 16,630 
			 1992 13,089 15,309 
			 1993 12,168 14,053 
			 1994 12,449 15,125 
			 1995 12,761 16,525 
			 1996 13,970 18,551 
			 1997 16,255 22,742 
			 1998 18,997 25,092 
			 1999 21,858 29,378 
			 2000 26,234 34,415 
		
	
	(20) These data are collected from GUM clinics and do not include cases diagnosed in other health care settings. These are aggregate not patient based data and so they are the number of reported cases not the actual numbers of males and females who have been diagnosed with uncomplicated genital chlamydial infection.
	Source:
	GUM clinic returns (KC60) PHLS.

Chlamydia

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many partners of those diagnosed with chlamydia have been traced in each of the last 20 years.

Yvette Cooper: The best available data are from genito- urinary medicine (GUM) clinics, which provide data on the number of cases categorised as
	"epidemiological treatment of suspected genital chlamydial infection".
	These are cases who have been given prophylactic antibiotic therapy because they have been exposed sexually to genital chlamydia, whether or not they have become infected. There are no data for chlamydial infection before 1990 as cases were included in the category "non specific urethritis".
	
		Number of cases receiving epidemiological treatment of suspected chlamydial genital infection: England: 1990 to 2000(21)
		
			 Year Male cases Female cases 
		
		
			 1990 3,031 3,088 
			 1991 3,060 3,108 
			 1992 3,374 3,205 
			 1993 3,408 3,231 
			 1994 4,333 3,803 
			 1995 4,984 4,047 
			 1996 6,366 4,924 
			 1997 7,991 6,221 
			 1998 9,041 6,880 
			 1999 11,318 8,253 
			 2000 14,002 10,027 
		
	
	(21) These data are collected from GUM clinics and do not include cases diagnosed in other health care settings. These are aggregate not patient-based data and so they are the number of reported cases not the actual numbers of males and females who have been identified as partners. Those cases found to be infected will also be included in the figures for uncomplicated chlamydial infection.
	Source:
	GUM clinic returns (KC60) PHLS

NHS Procurement Initiative

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the NHS pilot procurement initiative ProCure21 in the north-west and the midlands; and what the time-frame is for the initiative to be taken up by all regions of the UK.

John Hutton: holding answer 28 February 2002
	NHS ProCure 21 aims to deliver better capital procurement in the national health service, through programmes on better design, enabling the NHS to be a better client, performance management and partnering. The first three elements apply to all capital schemes in the NHS. Partnering is currently being piloted in the north-west and west midlands regions. The selection of Principal Supply Chain Partners is currently in progress, and an evaluation will be made once the partnering programme is under way and a decision taken on how quickly we will be able to roll it out nationally.

Vaccines

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the unsuccessful bidders were and what the size of their bids were for the contract to provide anti-TB vaccines.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 28 February 2002
	This information is commercially confidential and is not disclosed.

General Practitioners (Vocational Training)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been put in place to ensure an increase in the number of vocational training places for general practice; how many places have been available in each of the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of the number of places available in each of the next three years. the Minister of State, Department of Health,

John Hutton: holding answer 28 February 2002
	We do not have data available centrally on the number of vocational training scheme places. Doctors on vocational training schemes represent only a proportion of those training for general practice, as there are other training routes.
	All doctors training for a career in general practice must undertake a period training as a General Practice Registrar. We have a target to increase General Practice Registrar numbers by 550 by 2004. To accommodate these increases, we are investing significant resources in the general practice training infrastructure (£9 million over three years) and in developing training practice premises (£30 million over the same period). We also removed, last November, the outdated restrictions that had previously prevented overseas doctors receiving NHS funding when undertaking General Practice Registrar training.
	Recruitment to General Practice Registrar training is healthy. Numbers have risen, year on year, for the last five years. The attached table shows the figures for the last 10 years. Last year numbers increased by 224 on the previous year, exceeding our target increase of 150. As a result of the measures we have put in place, we expect growth to continue.
	
		GP Registrars in England as at 1 October 1991 to 1999 and -- 30 September 2000 and 2001
		
			  GP Registrars 
		
		
			 1991 1,639 
			 1992 1,613 
			 1993 1,529 
			 1994 1,445 
			 1995 1,404 
			 1996 1,305 
			 1997 1,343 
			 1998 1,446 
			 1999 1,520 
			 2000 1,659 
			 2001 1,883 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health Personal Medical Services Statistics

Powderject

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS contracts are held by Powderject; and what their value is.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The NHS contracts held by Powderject are for the supply of BCG vaccines, Tuberculin PPD solutions and influenza vaccine.
	Information surrounding the value of individual contracts is commercially confidential and is not disclosed.

Overseas Treatment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have travelled to EU countries specifically for NHS funded treatment in each of the last four months.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 1 March 2002
	Under the pilot scheme to send national health service patients abroad currently under way in south-east England 18 patients travelled in January and 41 in February. 12 patients are due to travel on Friday 1 March. We expect up to 200 patients to travel overseas for treatment as part of the pilot.
	The Department has authorised a total of 327 E112 applications since the beginning of November 2001, permitting patients to receive treatment, maternity care or continuing care in other countries of the European Economic Area, funded by the NHS. 85 applications were authorised in November, 72 in December, 94 in January and 76 have so far been authorised in February. (These figures are GB figures, as the Department administers this scheme on behalf of Scotland and Wales.) However, the fact that a given number of forms were authorised in a given period does not necessarily mean that the same number of patients actually received treatment overseas in that period.